I asked this question because of a constituent, who was mentioned in the question, and because 40% of those surveyed by the ESRI in 2022 felt their lives had been significantly impacted by insufficient PA hours. The Irish Wheelchair Association estimates that more than 60% of individuals currently receiving personal assistance services or home support require significantly more hours than they are receiving, and that is only an estimate because no comprehensive data on the issue currently exists. The constituent of…

I do appreciate the work the Minister of State has been doing and I have recognised that a light has been shone on this issue, especially in respect of PA hours and in separating, as she pointed out, the issue of home support. In regard to my constituent, the Minister of State has indicated the Department will be in contact, which is positive news to hear, and I really appreciate the work being done in the background to ensure this young man is being supported. It is great because social anxiety is an issue as well…

My question is to ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to a parliamentary question response to Deputy Emer Higgins in January of this year to liaise with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, on the disgraceful fact that foster carers do not receive pension support even if their child has additional needs and Tusla has advised the foster carer to be in the home to support him or her.

I raised this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, during the 11 June session but he pointed to the Minister as being the best person to revert to on this issue. It seems to be a complex pension issue. I point to the fact that the IFCA found that 50% of the carers surveyed said they are experiencing financial difficulties due to their commitment to caring and have considered giving up fostering as they are worried about being able to provide an adequate level of care. Tusla is actively recruiting f…

The increases in the allowances are welcome and Movement for Change in Foster Care and IFCA have pointed to that as well. The fact most foster carers are women and they are inhibited on this pension issue in particular is an area that needs further progress to be made. The organisations have done a lot on this themselves over the last number of years and have met with various Departments including that of the Minister but that kind of engagement needs to continue, maybe spearheaded by the Minister. It needs to move…

What are the Minister's views on the increase in attendances at University Hospital Limerick, especially those who are in need of mental health support, and will he make a statement on the matter?

I really appreciate all the information. It is welcome to hear about this solace café, the CAMHS hub and the additional team. I queried how many under-18s presented at the UHL emergency department with mental health issues and the data shows that the numbers have increased, which is a huge concern to me. In 2023, for example, 173 under-18s presented with mental health issues or as being at risk of suicide or self-harm. I believe they are presenting in crises and the emergency department is not the best environment …

We discussed this previously. After that team has been set up, we could possibly look at a further team for the west of Clare, just because of the geography and how far they are from other kinds of supports. The full-capacity protocol was triggered every single day of 2023 in UHL, again pointing to the emergency department not being the best place for those patients. I also queried how many people leave the emergency department each month of the year and the numbers were stark, with in excess of 500 people month on…

I ask the Minister to provide an update on the newly announced additional beds he plans to deliver for Ennis Hospital and the mid-west region.

This is a very welcome announcement for the region and it has been received very well locally. I agree it is a strong statement of intent and I want to acknowledge the commitment to increase capacity at Ennis Hospital. As we know, the population increase is in line with national statistics of 8%. That is a reality that needs to be planned for and delivered on. I know that a theatre upgrade was also approved and is due to be delivered in quarter 1 of 2026 and that planning permission is already in place. Will either…

I want to acknowledge the good work that has been done, particularly in respect of geriatric emergency medicine, the unit at UHL, the expansion of nine treatment bays and 24-hour operations. I believe that is very significant, especially because our region has a far greater number of those over 75 than any other region. The data shows that in the first quarter of this year, 617 patients were seen and only 36 required admission to the UHL emergency department. I acknowledge that the Minister secured step-down commun…

I raise the pressing necessity of granting or designating independence to Gaelcholáiste An Chláir in Ennis. The matter is so pressing because the school first submitted its application in 1994. We can all agree that, 30 years on, it is high time it received that designation. There is an accommodation crisis in second level schools in Ennis. In fact, all schools locally, when surveyed by the education and training board, ETB, welcomed the establishment of an independent Gaelcholáiste. There are four Gaelscoileanna i…

I wish to ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that foster caring for children with additional complex needs does not qualify one for full pension support, even in cases where Tusla has advised these carers they need to be on call 24-7 to support the children's medical needs and therefore one carer per household should not rejoin the workforce. Has she liaised with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on this matter, as that Department's Minister promised in a par…

Go raibh maith agat for the information. It is fantastic to hear that there will be a webinar. I decided to raise this matter with the Minister of State because it has been highlighted to me by my constituents that there is an anomaly whereby some foster carers, most of whom are women, find themselves unable to qualify for full contributory State pensions. It is apparently possible to exceed the amount of credits allowed and simultaneously fall short in PRSI payments when fostering for long periods of time. This un…

I acknowledge that the weekly payments have gone up. When the Irish Foster Care Association, IFCA, conducted a survey prior to the increase in the payments, 50% of the carers surveyed said they experienced financial difficulties due to their commitments to caring and have considered giving up fostering because they are worried about being able to provide an adequate level of care. The Minister of State mentioned the home caring periods scheme, which can help to qualify carers for the State pension. However, it only…

This is to ask the Minister to set out her plans to expand the hot school meals programme.

I appreciate all of the information the Minister provided. It has been some feat that she has undertaken over the past number of years. I would like to raise St. Anne's with the Minister, a special school in Ennis. It is a fantastic school. I have heard countless testimonies that the staff and the principal go above and beyond for each and every one of the students. They currently have 141 pupils. They highlighted a difficulty they are experiencing with the hot school meals programme. They actually have an on-site …

I will ask the school authorities to do so and maybe the Minister could flag it with the Department as well. They have struggled for a long time to pay the cook's wages. They get other funding that is meant to be for vital therapeutic services and they desperately need those services. It would be important for that funding to be used and not any of it to be paying for the cook's wages in any respect. Ideally going forward, the Department might look at certain flexibilities for special schools. Because of their need…

First, in light of the housing crisis and the many issues people are facing in relation to notices to quit, soaring rents and insecure housing, it was disheartening to watch Deputies shout across the House at each other. A level of respect for our constituents who are facing these situations is required. I want to raise the fact we need to increase targets for social housing developments in County Clare. This year the target is only 153. In Ennistymon, a social housing proposal has been paused due to water infrastr…

I thank the Social Democrats for using their Private Members' time this week to discuss the serious failings in respect of dentistry services. The motion acknowledges that access to dental care has been in crisis. That is especially true in counties like my constituency of Clare. Urgent action was required by Government to address the serious failings. Instead, we got gestures and token add-ons. In 2022 we saw increases in fees payable to contracted dentists for examinations and fillings and the reintroduction of c…