I thank the Minister of State for her detailed response and for specifically mentioning prevention. That is really important and I may come back to it. It is also very positive that there is commitment to fund FASD Ireland to continue the important work it is doing. I know the Minister of State has taken it under her wing because the organisation has fallen between the cracks, so to speak. It greatly appreciates that, as do I. It has ensured great positivity and the continuation of FASD Ireland's work. FASD Ireland…

I thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for using its Private Members' slot this week for this very important motion. It is fantastic news that the Green Paper on Disability Reform has been scrapped. Disabled people in my constituency were horrified at the proposal to categorise disability in three tiers according to perceived ability or inability to work. I acknowledge and thank the Clare Leader Forum, which was first out of the traps in responding to the proposal, organising consultations locally, which I attende…

I welcomed the recent unannounced visit of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I had requested unannounced visits from Government so I was really happy to see that take place. At that visit, the Minister made a few points. One was the number of patients on trolleys nationally has been reduced by 17% but not in UHL. Instead, it has increased by 50%. He also pointed to a number of reforms that have been successfully implemented in other hospitals that have not transpired in…

The issue of road safety has never been more pertinent. In the first quarter of the year, we saw a staggering 63 fatalities on Irish roads. I extend my condolences to all those affected by the recent tragedies on our roads. According to the Road Safety Authority, road fatalities have increased by 19% compared to the first quarter of last year. While much has been said in the newspapers in recent weeks about ways to reverse this worrying trend, a number of constituents have pointed out to me that for them road quali…

I also want to call for a debate on the European migration pact. It is one of the most contentious issues of today. I fear that if the Government does not allow for a debate to happen in this House, it will unfortunately then leave it to the public to debate it themselves outside this House. That would not be beneficial or appropriate either, so I would like to call for a debate on that.

I support this important motion on cancer care and welcome the opportunity to contribute this evening. An estimated 42,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer each year. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the fantastic work done locally, day in, day out, by the West Clare Cancer Centre. Last year, Ireland was found to have the third highest cancer mortality in western Europe by the European Cancer Inequalities Registry and was ranked 13th out of the EU 27 in cancer survival. Shockingly, th…

I echo the comments congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, on his new position. I point to the statistics about two towns in County Clare and the vacancy rates that have been experienced there in recent years. The most recent statistics show that Kilrush is at 24.6% and Shannon town is at 29.8%. I flag that with the Minister and Ministers of State today. The Minister of State mentioned the Department is developing a programme for local authorities. In his response, he might come back with further deta…

I feel the need to look for a bit of clarity. There is a minority report and a majority report. The Minister has received the minority report but he has not yet received the majority report.

If the Minister would tell me what is still outstanding, that would be most helpful. In respect of the Minister's comments on the referendum and the need to get it right, this is 100% correct. The results of the recent referendums are of great concern. They were widely criticised, and rightly so. Unfortunately, I feel the need to state how important this is for people. Many people do not have any affiliation with a political party, but they are scrambling to try to find housing. It is very important for them we hav…

I wish the incoming Taoiseach the very best. The public wants delivery, not an intent to deliver or promises to deliver that are broken time and again. The public needs delivery now. It needs delivery that is real and tangible and that improves their lives rather than making them worse. Many are busy trying to survive without access to vital services. They are trying to survive without homes. They have needed a Government that will respond effectively and not talk down to them. While I accept that the Government si…

-----to ensure social cohesion. It was interesting to hear that there is a level of trust in the coalition. That has not translated to the general population. Will a Taoiseach, constrained by time and with the job of rebuilding his own party, prioritise the best interests of the public and prioritise integrity in politics?

I echo the congratulations to the Taoiseach on his new position. I also echo the comments about his kids. It was really positive and a great experience to have them in the Chamber on this particular day. I wish the newly appointed Ministers well in their Departments. I congratulate Deputy Hildegarde Naughton on her appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and acknowledge her continued role as Chief Whip, which has been significant for me in securing, for the first time ever, two mi…

I commend the Labour Party on the opportunity to highlight in this House the housing crisis. It is also welcome to hear that the Government is not opposing the motion. I will start by referring to the recent review by the UN's Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which found that there is a persistent gap between housing demand and supply that is disproportionately affecting the most marginalised and disadvantaged, and that a lack of social housing has forced households to move into the private rental…

I will begin by acknowledging the various constituents who took the time to reach out to me to inform me and relay their personal stories, in some cases, reliving the inevitable trauma they experienced. They encouraged me to support the Get Rare Aware campaign and Rare Diseases Ireland. I thank them for their continued passionate advocacy. I also remember the 12% of children with rare diseases who pass away before they turn 18, their families and all the people affected by rare diseases. I will talk about the rare …

I want to start by paying tribute to my fellow women, the length and breadth of the State and beyond. International Women's Day gives us the opportunity to take stock and to celebrate the achievements of women in Ireland and around the world. It also allows us to recognise and acknowledge where more needs to be done. I want to pay tribute to the many women whose work does not get recognition and I want to thank them for all they do. Yes, great strides have been made, but we still have a long way to go before full e…

First, I welcome today’s news on the establishment of the interdepartmental group on the optional protocol and I hope this will speed up the ratification as it is now long overdue. We remember the delays in the ratification of the UNCRPD in the first instance and the 11 miserable years that went by there. Last year, there were 5,500 family carers who did not receive the carer’s allowance but did receive the carer's support grant, 319 of whom were in County Clare. We must phase out the means test for carer’s allowan…

I have raised this topic with the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues on many occasions. There has been considerable consensus on those occasions that the reconfiguration failed. I would be grateful if the Minister would put on the record of the House whether he intends to reinstate the accident and emergency department at Ennis Hospital

I thank the Minister. I would like to receive that information. I had a recent response from the HSE on the expansion of the injury unit. It seems it is not possible to expand it any further than has been done up to now. There were 121 people on trolleys this morning in UHL during morning rounds. This is 50 patients more than the next most overcrowded hospital in the State. There is consensus that the reconfiguration failed and yet, as far as I can see, no significant action has been taken on Ennis emergency depart…

The Minister has mentioned increased investment in UHL but as it currently stands, we still need the revenue to provide the first 96-bed block and the capital and revenue for the second 96-bed block to be progressed as a matter of urgency. The Minister could be building capacity at Ennis but instead the surgical hub is located at an old school in Limerick city. The HSE has told me in replies to a parliamentary question recently that there is no intention to expand stroke, cancer or coronary care in Ennis. Why not? …

I thank the Minister.