I thank the Deputy very much. I acknowledge again the very detailed and valuable work the health committee did in pre-legislative scrutiny on this. There are 22 recommendations in the committee's report. While very important, 11 of the 22 are not really legislative recommendations. For example, commissioning further research, increasing funding for quit services, communicating the harms of e-cigarettes, etc., are all good and amendments I agree with, though not relevant to legislation. There are thus 11 recommendat…

I think the Deputy and I are broadly in agreement on what needs to happen. The EU process is not about notifying the EU of our intention to legislate. We must notify it that we are legislating and that this is the draft legislation so it can look at it. We are going to do that as soon as we have the draft legislation. I expect we will all be broadly agreed on what we are doing with that legislation. We are certainly drawing from the committee's work on that. It is the draft law that is notified, not the intention, …

I thank the Deputy and fully agree with his intent. The issue is that there is a belief that a small number of retailers are using the pricing list as a proxy for advertising. It is covered in other legislation. It is an enforcement question. I am happy to provide the Deputy with a note in that regard.

Absolutely.

He did not say that.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government has allocated €22.5 billion to the health budget for 2024; — the health additional allocation for Budget 2024 is nearly €2 billion; — this includes an increase of €808 million in core current funding, €1,032 million in non-core current funding and an additional €120 million in capital funding; and — Budget 2024 includes funding for Covid-19 vaccinations, testing and tracing, waiting list init…

This is what our doctors, our nurses and all our healthcare professionals are hearing-----

----about their efforts to provide the services, treat the extra patients and spend the extra money. We all know there are productivity gains to be had, but at least two thirds of the additional spending this year is because our healthcare workers are rightly treating more patients who are showing up, and are doing so at a time when medicines and supplies have become more expensive. Turning to next year, it is difficult to forecast what is going to happen in terms of prices and patient demand. A post-Covid surge ma…

The remaining €900 million includes funding for: Covid; waiting list initiatives; urgent and emergency care measures; Ukrainian supports; staffing for new hospital beds, intensive care beds, community beds and surgical hubs; investment in our workforce, including in advanced practice and new training posts; mental health and social inclusion measures; and new cyber, digital and physical infrastructure capabilities. The budget includes provision for ongoing recruitment of hospital consultants, who will be working on…

They are not from within the House. The suggestion was not that they were from within the House.

I agree, Deputy.

Nor does he.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is heavily invested in and strongly supportive of the palliative care movement and hospices right across the country. Hospice care is one of the best things that is happening in healthcare in Ireland. A new community nursing unit is being built in Clonmel and it will include dedicated palliative care beds. There will be more than one bed; so far, there are two. A draft national palliative care strategy has been developed. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and I are wo…

I am aware of the very high cost of vaccines. It was raised with me yesterday by visitors to Leinster House. The Covid and flu vaccines for the target groups are all now being provided free at the point of delivery. The shingles vaccine is something we can look at. The Deputy mentioned people going into the chemist with a prescription. We could look at including the vaccine under the drugs payment scheme, which would cap the monthly cost at €80. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I am aware of it and it is s…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and join her in recognising the extraordinary work done by Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. In our budget of last year for this year, as she will be aware, for the first time we funded a national network of neurorehabilitation nurses. I have met, for example, stroke clinicians who made the point that while our hospital-based stroke services have gone from strength to strength in terms of rapid response, with very quick and advanced technologies, when patients leave hospital th…

I am really pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on investment in healthcare. Before I do, I would like to add my voice to those condemning the bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza. While there are claims and counter-claims about which side the bombs came from, the killing of hundreds of innocent patients, healthcare workers and families is outrageous. Our thoughts are with the families of all those who died and were injured. At the same time, we must never take our eyes off the Russian …

I was not asked.

I was not asked.

I am genuinely loath to interrupt. I am just asking for some advice, and I do not mean to criticise. The Deputy is referring to an identifiable person, who is my Secretary General.

I just wonder if the Deputy might withdraw those comments. It is very unfair and he cannot defend himself. They are not true.