Scaremongering.

I thank the Deputy for her question. At this point, Covid-19 should not be used as a reason to keep day care facilities closed. A great deal of work was done to reopen these facilities and many supports were provided. There may be other local operational reasons for that but at this point, while this may not be the case in the future, Covid should not be a reason. I will engage with the HSE on exactly the points the Deputy has just raised and will ask it to look at the centres concerned.

The Deputy will be aware that there is an unprecedented level of roll-out in maternity care, including midwifery-led care. The next phase is home birth. The service is now being supported and has been integrated into the hospitals. We are aware of the recommendation in respect of geography and it is a matter on which I am more than happy to continue the conversation with the HSE. This is occurring in the context of a very rapid expansion of maternity services, which is critically expanding choice for women as regar…

I thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, I have met the families. There has been extensive engagement and extensive work has been done. The issue we have in Ireland, as the Deputy will be very well aware, is that any review that seeks to make findings against people becomes very legalistic very quickly and, ultimately, does not give the families the answers they want. I have stated here several times and I will state again that these families deserve answers. They are asking very reasonable questions and they deser…

As the Deputy is aware, the vast majority of HSE and sections 38 and 39 staff have been paid. I am not satisfied that other arms of the State, including the fire brigade and the Defence Forces, for example, have not been paid. I have communicated in recent days with the Deputy and the HSE regarding this point. When it comes to paying private businesses, I am not satisfied with the pace at which this has happened. However, the HSE is concerned, and it is right to be, that if it makes payments to private businesses a…

False.

I am delighted to be here. It is a good day in terms of legislation, women's healthcare and the cost of living as it relates to healthcare. The Bill's core purposes have been expanded. Originally the Bill had one aim, namely to abolish inpatient charges for children in hospitals. That is a really important step in the right direction. It is now being amended to encompass provisions to provide free contraception on a statutory basis in the State for the first time. We are starting the scheme with women aged 17 to 25…

I think we can do what Senator Lombard stated in a shorter period than that. It is off topic, but I was asked about safe access zones. With the Acting Chairperson's permission, I will address the issue briefly.

There is draft legislation to deliver what we all want to see happen. I want to acknowledge the very constructive debates we have had in the Seanad on the issue. A Private Members' Bill on safe access to termination of pregnancy services was brought forward previously. I acknowledge the significant work put into that Bill by the Members concerned. At the time, I committed to bringing forward and prioritising legislation in the area. We have done that. On the timeframe for delivery, the legislation will be considere…

The reason that charges were removed for inpatients aged under 16 is that the children's hospitals take patients up to the age of 15. In terms of medical consent, a patient becomes an adult at the age of 16.

It is not that we do not want to go further. I would love to go further.

Earlier in the year I talked about the idea of removing inpatient hospital charges for adults. We do not have agreement on the issue or the funding required currently. However, we want to expand the removal of charges. In response to Senator Conway's question on whether I see it being expanded to include adults, I do. We are looking at how that might work.

I pay tribute to our healthcare workers all over the country. One would be forgiven when listening to the relentless negativity from Sinn Féin for not knowing that our men and women in healthcare around this country will deliver care to tens of thousands of men, women and children today. They will deliver care to millions of our countrymen and countrywomen this year. Sinn Féin did not talk about Covid-19. Its representatives did not say that while the waiting lists in this country are too long, they are between a h…

We will continue to add beds. We will continue to add record numbers. We will make sure that people have access to the best quality care in this country when they need it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As of last Friday, approximately 90,000 eligible HSE and section 38 staff have received the Covid-19 pandemic recognition payment. We estimate that is approximately nine in every ten people who are eligible for the payment, as public sector healthcare or section 38 staff. This payment recognises the extraordinary contribution and efforts made during the pandemic by our healthcare workers. Roll-out of the payment continues to be prioritised across all services, and should b…

I thank the Deputy. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform introduced the temporary special leave with pay scheme for Covid at the start of the pandemic. It was there to assist in preventing Covid spread in workplaces. Since 1 July this pay continues to cover Covid-related illnesses for the duration of the self-isolation period. Any period of illness extending beyond the isolation period is treated as ordinary sick leave. A special scheme specific to the health sector is merited in recognition of the requi…

I thank the Deputy. The first ask made was that the scheme be extended and it was something I committed to advocating for. It is not a Department of Health scheme but it is something I committed to and we have secured an extension for a year, and that is very welcome. Any employee who is eligible for the payment receives his or her full rate of basic pay. Such employees receive the fixed allowance and, if eligible, they receive-----

-----premium payments as well. The Deputy has raised various issues on which I am in conversations with the Department of Health and on which the officials are talking to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I again acknowledge that not everything the representative bodies have sought is included. There is an ongoing conversation but critically, what was important was we got the scheme extended and that has been secured.

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his ongoing advocacy work on this area and indeed on the MCAP. The programme was initiated following a ministerially commissioned expert report some time back on cannabis for medical use. Access to cannabis for medical purposes for the treatment of three specified conditions was the recommendation, when all other treatments had failed. The programme commenced in July 2021 and I was very happy to initiate that. It is operated by the HSE. There have been some initial issues with ava…

I thank the Deputy. I think the question he is posing is whether we can extend the programme to different conditions. As we were discussing, the original report recommended its use for three conditions once other treatments were no longer deemed viable. The question is whether we can broaden that. The Department of Health has now commissioned an evidence review. This is examining the efficacy and the safety of the cannabis-based treatments for a wider range of conditions. When that is completed a clinical group is …