I want to raise the growing problem of illegal dumping across the Dublin South-West area. Over the past couple of weeks in particular we have seen significant amounts of waste being dumped in our communities on housing estates. One pattern that is becoming increasingly noticeable is the use of skip bags. Only yesterday, a large skip bag filled with waste was dumped close to houses in Aylesbury. This morning I got a report of a skip bag that was burned on an estate in Tallaght-Belgard. Over the past couple of weeks,…

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I welcome the Bill. It is an important public health issue, particularly for our children and young people. It is about ensuring that our legislation keeps pace with a nicotine market that is changing rapidly. For many years, when we talked about nicotine addiction, we were talking about cigarettes. Today it is very different. We have vapes in a wide range of flavours and packaging and we have newer products such as nicotine pouches, which are small, discreet and …

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. Over the past few years and during my time as a councillor, there have been many changes to the roads in my area. It led me to ask the Minister to undertake a comprehensive review of the design manual for urban roads and streets, commonly known as DMURS. I appreciate the principles behind DMURS are good ones. We all want safer roads, lower vehicle speeds, where appropriate, better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and communities that are more accessible an…

I am a road user. My constituents who are road users do not feel it is being informed by them. There is frustration in the community. There is congestion, roads are being narrowed and buses passing each other are clipping their mirrors. The DMURS is not up to scratch. Money is being wasted unnecessarily. If disability groups are being included, I recommend that somebody who is blind is included as well. I say this because I did a walk around Tallaght with a blind man and the navigation of the roads was not up to sc…

I was taken by what Senator Ruane said. It is not often I have heard her compliment herself but everybody in Tallaght is so proud of her. She has achieved so much and she has huge respect in Tallaght. I also want to comment on what Senator Andrews said. I think people are bored of the whole "Government let you down" thing. A lot of my constituents, when they get that response from Sinn Féin, just come to me to get stuff sorted out. It is boring now at this point. I am going to buy the Senator a present. It is a boo…

I welcome the Minister. She has made herself very available to the Seanad during this term. I understand how busy she is but we really do appreciate the time she has given and how she has listened to us. I mean that very sincerely. I welcome this Bill. It is practical and sensible legislation. It reflects how healthcare is evolving in Ireland. It is about making access to care easier and reducing unnecessary delays. The Minister spoke about pharmacists and their qualifications, which just brought me back to my chil…

I wish to speak about Skyclarys. Yesterday’s decision was disappointing. Any issue around health should also not be politicised. It is not helpful to patients. Clear and honest information needs to be relayed to patients. I had to speak to one politician who said that strings could be pulled for patients. These already upset people are being used. I have no time for it. There is no space for that in this Chamber. Yesterday’s decision was disappointing. It is not an outright “No” to Skyclarys. Instead, the HSE has r…

I am calling on the Minister to outline the measures that are being taken to improve access to lymphoedema services across Ireland, with a particular focus on prevention, education, early intervention and support for breast cancer patients. Lymphoedema, for anyone who does not know, is a chronic and progressive condition that affects thousands of people throughout Ireland. I know many people who developed the condition following their treatment for breast cancer, yet awareness of the condition is very limited. Whil…

I would like to know how much money is actually allocated to lymphoedema services. With regard to compression garments, many people do not realise that there is a need to replace them. I know several people who have worn the same one for years without realising that replacements are available from the State. Lymphoedema is not spoken about enough. It is one of those conditions that does not get an awful lot of attention but it can have an awful impact on people. When I started in the Seanad, I did not have it but t…

I think that the Bill will be very successful in reducing the amount of people who vape. Single-use vapes are easily accessible for kids. They are something to grab. Kids are not going to get into the habit of charging vapes and so on but they can just grab a single-use vape and fling it away. Where we will see how it is working is when we take a walk in our local communities and we are not kicking vape packages out of our way. As a cancer survivor, I hate cigarettes and smoking. I never took up smoking because I w…

It is great to see the Minister of State in here today. Across the country, local authorities are undertaking significant transport, cycling and public realm projects. These projects often have major implications for local communities, businesses, commuters and residents. Public consultation is presented as an opportunity for people to have their say. Citizens invest considerable time preparing detailed submissions, attending information events and engaging in good faith. However, many people increasingly feel that…

During my time as a councillor, I was involved with Part 8 developments. I have huge respect for South Dublin County Council. To be parochial, these developments have transformed my area of Tallaght. We have fabulous parks. I was involved in a Part 8 process for an older persons' housing developments. The community's views were seen and heard. It is a lovely place to live. Those houses are like gold dust now. I really worry about the section 38 developments, particularly because councillors do not get to vote on it…

Before we proceed, I welcome members of the Roscommon Older People's Council executive, who are guests of Deputy Martin Daly and Senator Gareth Scahill, their local Senator. I will also pass on commiserations to Paddy Joe Burke on Roscommon's loss.

Before we move on to the next speaker, I welcome to the House Alan Del Rio and Aoife Larkin, who are guests of my colleague, Deputy Devlin.

As long as you want.

Is the motion agreed?

I thank the Minister for being here today. She generously gives a lot of her time to the Seanad and it is very much appreciated. I welcome the opportunity to speak on Irish AIDS Day. Following on from many of the other speakers, I want to remember those we lost and reiterate that we stand with those who are living with HIV and that we are renewing our commitment to ending new HIV transmissions and tackling the stigma. I have listened to people speaking, especially Senator Clonan. The thing about shame is that I hat…

I welcome and support this Bill. It is simple in that it is just making sure that people who receive care in their own homes can be confident that the care they receive is safe, of high quality and properly regulated. Every day across Ireland thousands of older people and people with disabilities rely on their home care support services. These services help people with everyday tasks such as getting dressed, preparing meals and personal care, enabling them to remain independent in their own homes. For so many famil…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue concerning tactile paving, dished crossings and the safety of blind and visually impaired people when navigating our streets and communities. I am raising this matter on behalf of one of my constituents from Tallaght, Mr. Vincent Stack, who is part of an organisation called Voice of Vision Impairment. Mr. Stack is blind, and to better understand his concerns, I walked a number of routes with him in Tallaght so I co…

I thank the Minister of State. I now see where the problem lies. I want to put on the record that I have huge issues with the DMURS. They would be better placed, instead of narrowing roads and junctions and making them totally uncomfortable for people to drive on, to focus on tactile paving and to have a standardised approach in order that blind people can navigate their communities safely. DMURS needs to be revisited. I appreciate the Minister of State coming in and providing all the information but, at the end of…