I wish to return to the women's health action plan, in particular when it comes to young women, specifically young women in County Louth. For far too long in decades gone by, women's health in this country was neglected and ignored, partly because women tend to take care of others ahead of themselves and also because men in general and the State in decades gone by have simply ignored women's issues and women's health and have tended not to ask us how we are.

I thank the Minister and welcome those updates. I turn my attention now to women in mid-life and older women in general. I have realised myself since I entered this Chamber and come down those very steep steps that my bones are tending to creak a little bit more than they were two months ago. There are programmes in the plan for bone health. This is a vital issue, especially for women in mid-life and older age. The term "older age" does not sit right with me as I advance towards it perhaps, but I would like to hear…

I also acknowledge the work being done on the cardiovascular health of women. As the Minister pointed out, the symptoms for women are not the same as those that present in men. Very often, we tend to ignore it. Through marketing, communication and just general acknowledgement these symptoms are different, we can definitely change the lives of many women across the country.

I wish the Minister well in his new role. I will raise two issues with him. The first is the issue of rural housing and the second is the port access northern cross route, PANCR, project in Ballymakenny, Drogheda. I live in an area that is viewed in the Louth county development plan as an area of outstanding beauty and I certainly concur with that as Togher is, in my view, one of the most beautiful sites in County Louth. It has open countryside coupled with gorgeous coastline and a blue flag beach and port. There a…

As it is my first time speaking in the Chamber, I ask the Ceann Comhairle to indulge me a moment as I thank the people of Togher, Dunleer, Ardee, Drogheda, Dundalk, Termonfeckin, the peninsula up in the north side of the county, and of course the constituents in east Meath for the faith they have placed in me and their trust that I will represent them to the best of my ability. I would like to reassure them for the time that I am in this Dáil that I will always represent them as true as I possibly can. I will be pr…