I thank the Deputy. I apologise, I was just chasing up one or two bits for him there. I hear what he is saying about the campaigners and their demands for the process to move more quickly, and that is exactly what we have done. The process that was set out in 2021 was for the review to start in 2026. We were going to wait for five years to gather sufficient evidence. The review would then take a year, let us say. That means we would be into 2027. I have compressed all of that. We are now at a point in 2024 that we …

Yes.

I thank the Deputy. It is very clear that there are beneficial effects. We currently have four authorised cannabis products, namely Epidiolex, which 184 patients have now been prescribed, Sativex, nabilone and dronabinol. There are 184 patients on Epidiolex and, while I do not have the figures for the others, I know that is the biggest group. We are taking it very seriously and we have accelerated the process. I cannot provide the names yet as that is still being worked through, but we are getting a chair and we ar…

I did not realise I had only ten minutes. I was handed a 40-minute speech, which I got down to about 15 minutes. The Acting Chairperson can cut me off if necessary or, with the indulgence of the Seanad, perhaps I could have more time.

I would be delighted to do so, and I thank the Deputy for asking the question and giving me the opportunity. The new beds plan, as the Deputy will be aware, is for 3,500 beds, which is on top of the 1,200 that have already been delivered. It is a game-changer. Between those that have been delivered and those that are coming, there are nearly 5,000 beds. Critically, to the core of Deputy Wynne’s question, not only is it a really important increase in the bed capacity, it is also regionally balanced for the first tim…

I thank the Deputy. I can be very clear that the beds plan will have no negative impact on the projects that are currently planned. We are doing both. It is part of an ongoing investment in Ennis Hospital, which really is going from strength to strength. As the Deputy will be aware, a new outpatient department was opened in 2021. Importantly, a new injury unit was opened in 2022. It is doing incredible work. As the Deputy will know, as part of the UHL response, we are moving to 24-7 medical assessment units, MAUs. …

I am delighted to be in a position today to bring the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill before Seanad Éireann. This is ground-breaking legislation. For hundreds, and possibly thousands, of families around Ireland, it will provide the route to full parentage for children, mums and dads all over our country. It will introduce, for the first time in Ireland, a regulatory framework for assisted human reproduction, AHR. One of its many benefits will be the extension of fully State-funded IVF to intending parents…

We are keeping a very open mind to anything local hospitals want to bring forward in terms of proposals, with one important caveat, namely, the capital budget is what it is. The Government has expanded it very significantly in recent years, but in respect of any proposal relating to bed capacity, we would have to ask whether it would have a knock-on effect on any opportunities to increase services, whatever they may be, such as diagnostics, a new outpatient centre or a new ED. We need to keep a very open mind to it…

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his ongoing work, advocacy and interaction with me to ensure this essential primary care service in Glanmire will remain a Government priority and be opened. The provision of the new primary care centre in Glanmire is an absolute priority for the Government and the HSE. The centres, as the Deputy will be aware, play an essential role in providing integrated care and, critically, providing it to people in their own communities rather than making them travel to a hospital. The prima…

I have no doubt the Deputy will make sure I stay on top of this. I fully agree that these centres make a huge difference to the local community and we do need to get it right. In order that people are aware, when it has opened, the services we are going to have at the primary care centre in Glanmire will include public health nursing services, primary care physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, dietetics, podiatry and home support services, so this really is going to be important for t…

I will certainly ask the Department to revert to the Deputy on the Mayfield primary care centre as a matter of urgency. I echo his positive comments about the new ophthalmology services out of Ballincollig. For many years in Cork, circumstances simply have not been acceptable, whereby people could not get access to cataract appointments in a timely manner, but we are making that a thing of the past and the investment in Ballincollig is one really important part of that. Further investment in ophthalmology is going …

They are wrong.

I thank the Deputy for the question, and the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association for the work it does in supporting and advocating for patients. Lung fibrosis, as he will be aware, refers to a group of diseases in which scar tissue develops in the lungs. I have been advised by the HSE that the national clinical director for integrated care has requested that a scoping exercise be undertaken to review the evidence and assess the needs of people living with pulmonary fibrosis and to determine how and where their pulmonar…

None of that is true.

I thank the Deputy. With regard to the recruitment embargo, there is definitely a debate to be had about funding of the health service, but the recruitment embargo had nothing to do with this issue. In fact, the HSE was funded to a record level last year for an additional 6,000 staff but hired in excess of 8,000 staff. I do not want the recruitment embargo to be in place but this particular issue is not a funding issue, though other matters which we have discussed previously are related to funding. I asked my Depar…

I will ask the Department to revert to the Deputy directly on the delays and the date for completion of the review moving from quarter 2 to quarter 3. Let us see whether that delay can be managed down to just a matter of weeks. This is not about the denial of any service. The service is being provided but, as the Deputy reasonably pointed out, it is a long way to Sligo University Hospital for many people living in Donegal. The review is nearly complete. Let us get the review and see what it recommends. It may recom…

The reality is that although there are ongoing pressures on certain services at Letterkenny University Hospital - I fully accept that and have visited the hospital many times - there has been a very significant increase in capacity in the hospital and in services delivered by the hospital in the lifetime of this Government. The budget has increased by a quarter. The number of staff has increased by a quarter, growing by 437. There are 437 more healthcare workers working in that hospital compared with when the Gover…

I acknowledge the excellent contribution our National Ambulance Service, NAS, teams make in delivering emergency care right across the country. Helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS, are consultant led and paramedic-delivered in Ireland. The NAS provides two dedicated HEMS aircraft, including one aircraft operated in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps. Also, the Irish Coast Guard provides aeromedical support to the HSE in addition to the services already mentioned. HEMS provide fast-access, lifesaving pre-h…

It is something we are taking seriously. We are looking at it. Essentially, the question is whether it is consultant-led or consultant-delivered. Is there a consultant in the background or is there a consultant on the helicopter? The argument is that if we have an emergency medicine consultant on the helicopter, there will inevitably be cases where the patient will get a higher level of care. In some cases, that might make all the difference. We must ask a balancing question about what the position would be if that…

I thank colleagues for the debate, which has been useful. I acknowledge the contribution from Senator Seery Kearney, which made it all very real and human and reminded us why were are here. I also acknowledge Senators Clifford-Lee, Ardagh and O'Loughlin and others who have pushed hard and worked within the Government and the Opposition to advance progress in fertility. Fertility is obviously for both men and women. There has been a concerted effort and I acknowledge all the Senators who have worked so hard, and con…