My question is about safe injection facilities. Last month I asked a parliamentary question about establishing a safe injection facility in Cork city. I was told it would not be considered until the 18-month pilot in Dublin was concluded. For the one in Dublin, it took nine years between Cabinet approval and setting it up. We cannot have the same level of delay in Cork city. We need a health-led approach to drugs and we need to start considering and planning a safe injection facility for Cork city. Failure to act h…

With respect, I asked about the facility in Cork. The facility in Dublin has been a success. That is why we want to see one rolled out for Cork. We know from research published by UCC that there are 859 problem drug users in Cork city. Thirty-five people die every single year in my city from problem drug use. This is a crisis, it is urgent and it needs interventions. We cannot wait for pilots and reviews. We need to act now on this. A mobile unit will not be effective. We know from the centre in Dublin that people …

Yesterday at the committee, we talked about the integrated health hub for homeless people in Cork city. This hub needs to be established and we need the capital investment for it. This is the prime location to have a safe injection facility in Cork city. What we need here now is not to miss an opportunity. We are establishing a new centre there. We can co-locate these services but the Department needs to do the planning and design now and needs to get this right. We need to think beyond just injection. Right across…

I too wish Deputy Donohoe the best and echo his call for investments in libraries. I have raised the issue of Cork city library. We have been waiting four years for a new-build library. Perhaps that is one the Tánaiste could invest in. It would be crucial and would be part of Deputy Donohoe's legacy. The issue I want to raise is relates to the census. I welcome the decision to include questions on sexual orientation and gender in the next census. For the first time, a hidden part of our population will become visib…

I too welcome the establishment of a statutory public inquiry and the decision by Cabinet to appoint a facilitator on the matter. This public inquiry must have the power of compellability to establish facts. It must be independent and the voices of the children, their parents and families must be at the centre of this. Crucially, these families must get the answers to the long list of questions they have. Public interest must be at the heart of this and nothing else. It must not be rushed, but it cannot go on forev…

I support those calls in relation to the voluntary hospitals and the requirement the right information systems are put in place and that we have robust systems and the same systems across all of our hospitals and all of our health services. We are dealing with very large sums of public money. I believe €5 billion goes into voluntary hospitals. We need to ensure there are levels of accountability and transparency there. That is required so I support the calls from others around that and support the Minister's work i…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 9, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: “Review of data protection compliance 7. The Minister shall, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas evaluating compliance with relevant data protection legislation and regulations in the collection, usage, and storage of patient health data.”. This is long overdue and much needed legislation that will provide for a legal basis for electronic health records and pati…

I move amendment No. 5: “Review of accessibility of health data 7. The Minister shall, within two years of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining - (a) the steps taken to assist persons with lower digital literacy or connectivity issues to access their health data and exercise their right to restrict access to information, in accordance with the legislation, and (b) the specific supports made available to vulnerable populations to address barriers to underst…

First, I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Farrelly, on bringing forward this proposal, leading on it, setting this out and being a champion on this issue. I am very disappointed by the Government's response of kicking this issue down the road. We have young people who really want to engage with the democratic process and have their say. People who are aged 16 and 17 now will be aged 17 and 18 a year from now. By the time the Government finally gets its act together, they will be aged 18 and over, so this matter is…

I wish to ask the Minister of State about the future of Cork City Library. We have a fantastic library service in Cork city but the building is not fit for purpose. The roof leaks and parts of the library have been closed off to the public. It is not acceptable in this day and age. Even more disappointing is that four years ago, the Taoiseach announced that €50 million would be spent transforming Grand Parade with a new public library, a new central plaza and boardwalk to facilitate cultural and recreational activi…

I thank the Minister of State very much. I am concerned at the response because what we see is a passing of the buck. It goes from the Government to the council. The council says it does not have enough money to complete the project, so it goes back to the Government. We never get a full answer about when the library is going to be built. Is it going to be a new-build library? Are we going to get the construction of a new building and not have this shoved into an existing building that does not meet the needs of a …

Give us an answer to the question. Will a new library be built or not?

At today's health committee, the Irish Cancer Society said there is a complacent notion that we are doing well in cancer but we are not. The reality is that the State's cancer services are deteriorating. A prime example of this is radiation therapy, which is beset with antiquated machinery and staff shortages. Radiation therapy machines need to be changed every ten years. That is their internationally accepted lifespan. In Ireland, 35% of machines are already 15 years old, while a further 40% will need replacement …

As the Minister of State and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will know, every time we have health statements, I question their value, particularly given the backlog of legislation we have relating to the right to home care, legislation relating to CHI and much other legislation, but I see real value in this. It has been great to hear the consistent messages across the House about particular parts of our communities that are affected and the need for an intersectional approach, particularly relating to Traveller men, LGBT…

Like Deputy Bacik, I wish to express my concerns about the scenes we are seeing in Dublin tonight and I ask Members to think twice before inflaming tensions even further. It is something we should all be mindful of. On the motion at hand, I believe in a new and united Ireland, one with a thriving all-island economy, with universal public services and inclusive politics. We have a real opportunity here to create a new and better Ireland, one that enshrines rights in a new Constitution, including a right to housing, …

We all know that budgets are about choices. This Government has made its choice. It has chosen big developers and multinationals. Ordinary workers and households be damned, because there is nothing here for them. In fact, middle-income earners will be worse off. What happened to all the pre-election promises? It is quite clear that the Government was just paying lip service in order to win an election. Where is its ambition? The budget lacks vision. It will not deliver transformative change. Yesterday, the Minister…

I wish to ask the Minister about cancer services. Over 50% of cancer patients require radiation therapy at some point in their care. It is routinely used to treat the most common types of cancer such as breast, cervical and lung cancers. It is the cornerstone of modern cancer treatment and yet, it is neglected. We have ageing machines. In other areas, newer machines have no staff to operate them. Qualified radiation therapists cannot get jobs and there are shocking levels of outsourcing to the private sector. As of…

First, on machinery, I accept there is a replacement programme under way for St. Luke's but why are machines breaking down before action is taken? The internationally accepted lifespan for a treatment machine is ten years but in St. Luke's, Rathgar, they have two machines that are 15 years old and another two that are almost 17 years old. They are limited to using three machines at a time. This means that a quarter of the capacity in Rathgar is being lost. Why? It is to mitigate breakdowns. These machines need to b…

Regarding staffing, Cork and Galway both have new builds and new machines, but not enough staff. St. Luke's network has a CT scanner with no staff, a skin cancer treatment service operating at reduced capacity because it has insufficient staff, and at the same time, we had 30 graduates in radiation therapy from Trinity College last year. Only ten of them secured posts in Ireland, a further ten left the profession, and ten more have no employment. Radiation therapy graduates need a guarantee of employment from the H…

Graduates are looking for jobs, Minister.