Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Carlow-Kilkenny · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“There is nothing any of us in this House can say that can undo the pain, harm and loss experienced by those young boys, their families and the communities in which they lived, played basketball and worked. They have had to endure a lifetime of harm, many of them carrying their suffering in silence.”
“We are listening to you, we are learning and we are acting. All of us in this House have a responsibility to ensure that our child safeguarding systems are robust. We must ensure that if concerns are raised today, they are acted on without delay.”
“Today is a profoundly important and solemn day. I want to add my voice to the full and formal State apology and to acknowledge the courage, dignity and perseverance of those survivors who fought for truth and accountability for so many years.”
“I thank the Deputy for highlighting this very important issue and the 161 recommendations. First, I thank the Joint Committee on Drug Use for its work. I welcomed the report and I am in agreement with many of its recommendations. As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year I published a draft of the national drugs strategy.”
“The Bill and the secondary legislation, training and clinical protocols that will follow it will support the terms and conditions for this service, as laid out in the community pharmacy agreement. All secondary legislation will be in place before commencement and launch of this measure.”
“No. I thank the Deputy again for her work on the drugs committee. The vast majority of the 161 recommendations will be in the new drugs strategy but one of the recommendations was on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. It falls under section 3. That legalises drugs. It is important we tell the people of the concern.”
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“Recent data from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative shows that nearly one in five primary school-aged children in Ireland is overweight or obese. This increases to one in four in DEIS schools. This is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. It is clear that, as a country, we are facing a significant challenge to tackle obesity through the course of life. We need to turn the tide on the overweight and obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, that is what we are facing at the moment. It is something that we, as a Government, are totally committed to tackling. Under this plan, we liaise closely with the CHI child and adolescent complex obesity service. The CHI service has been led by a health and social care professional since 2016.”
“I recognise that health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life, where they live, learn, work and play. Improving the health and well-being of the whole population is a key goal for this Government. Healthy Ireland is a Government priority and aims to create an Ireland where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and well-being to their full potential, and where well-being is valued and supported at every level of our society and is everyone's responsibility to access some of the significant challenges regarding the lifestyle issues, including overweight and obesity and physical inactivity. We endeavour to develop strong national policies and facilitate multi-interventions in some of the key settings. The obesity policy and action plan is a major milestone in the implementation of Healthy Ireland.”
“This is a group of young people who share their experience as users of the hospital services to inform policy, practices, research and the development of services, both within CHI and on a national basis. This council gives young people a voice and allows them to actively contribute to the quality of paediatric care in Ireland. This quality of care is not driven in isolation; it is driven by integration. When services work together seamlessly across disciplines and settings, children receive more timely, co-ordinated and effective care that truly meets their needs and improves health outcomes. Integration across services ensures that patients are supported, not only in moments of crisis, but through their entire healthcare journey.”
“I thank the Minister for highlighting the importance of driving reform and improvements in healthcare services for children and young people. We all agree reform is necessary but reform for its own sake is not the goal. What matters is how these changes are experienced by the people who rely on our services every day. I am speaking about children, young people and their families. We owe it to these families, and to the healthcare workers doing their utmost to provide these services, to push for a greater integration in care which is child-centred, compassionate and progressive. I want to offer my thoughts on how we get to this. This means listening to those with lived experience and putting their child and the family at the centre of the decisions we make. One way in which this is done is through the youth advisory council.”
“Ireland must remain committed to the principles of free and open trade so we can retain high-quality jobs and protect consumers from sharp increases in the price of critical goods. Free and open trade brings opportunities, creates well-paid jobs and fosters innovation. I commend the calm response of the Government and I hope there is still time to reach agreement with the US Administration. However, if that is not the case, I welcome the Government’s efforts, alongside the European Commission, to ensure that the impact of these tariffs on our economy and future growth is as small as possible.”
“I am mindful of local farmers, distilleries and pharmaceutical companies which have contributed so much to our local economy and who are anxiously waiting to see the full impact of these charges. The growth of the economy in Carlow and Kilkenny and job creation could also be under threat. This is a huge concern of mine. We need to have continued development in our counties and towns. That is vital. It is important that we protect jobs and livelihoods as best we can. I welcome the continued engagement by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Government with the European Commission to ensure that Irish sensitivities are made clear. Tariffs are deeply disruptive. They drive inflation and hurt consumers.”
“The tariffs announced by the US Administration have caused concern and anxiety over the impact on Irish businesses and job creation across the country. The uncertainty in respect of sectors such as pharmaceuticals adds to this. While I know the Government has been preparing for this, it is regrettable that the US Administration made the announcements. Nobody wins from tariffs. However, it is important that the Government continues to analyse these measures and their impact on our trade along with the European Commission. The EU will have to respond in a proportionate manner that protects our businesses and citizens. It is essential to continue dialogue and negotiations. The tariffs represent a huge challenge to Irish exporters to the US across all sectors. I will talk about my own local area of Carlow-Kilkenny.”
“There has been an unprecedented level of investment by this Government in the health service workforce in recent years with over 29,000 more staff working in our health service today than at the beginning of 2020. Funding provided in 2024 and 2025 will allow the HSE to recruit an additional 7,000 staff in 2025, in addition to replacing department staff. The Government is also committed to enhancing the supply of new graduates by increasing training places. Since 2014, first year nursing places in Irish higher education institutions have grown by 50%. An additional 122 nursing and midwifery places were provided in Northern Ireland in 2023 and a further 78 additional nursing places were provided in 2024. I thank the Deputy for bringing up this issue and for highlighting it and I will go back again to the Department on it.”
“When new circulars are introduced, the HSE national pension payments team is mandated to apply the regulations in force regarding the abatement, specifically the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform circular 24/2022 as of 1 January 2023. The HSE is obliged to calculate and apply abatement as laid down in the circular. It is important to note the HSE is only reviewing compliance from this date on, and not for the duration of the temporary Covid waiver. The Government is committed to supporting the ongoing recruitment and growth of our health service workforce. Reliance on retired workers and exemptions from the principle of pension abatement is not a durable solution or one that should be relied on long term.”
“I can see the Deputy’s passion, and I do understand. It is important to reiterate our appreciation for the work carried out by all our healthcare workers throughout the pandemic, including those individuals who returned from retirement to help their colleagues and the public when they needed it most. I understand that. The temporary waiver of pension abatement was introduced at a time of great need. The normal rules of pension abatement are that waivers will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, for a limited period of time. In this case, they ceased to operate from March 2021. I know I have already said that to the Deputy.”
“I am aware that many retired nurses choose to work in private agency companies and can do so without any impact on their pension. However, the Department and the HSE are committed to reducing the reliance on the use of agency staff and to filling vacancies through direct employment in the first instance in order to build a sustainable workforce for the future. In fact, reaffirming this commitment was a major ask of all representative bodies during the recent WRC negotiations regarding staff.”
“Unrelated to the Covid waiver, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issued further guidance in December 2022 which clarified the rules regarding pension abatement and the methodology for the calculation of same. The HSE, in turn, issued its own memo, 059/2024, in early 2024, outlining the content of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidance. As a result of this new guidance, abated employees are currently being assessed by the HSE for compliance. All retired public servants who are re-employed by any public service body are subject to pension abatement rules. The HSE is obliged to apply the regulations that are in place and to calculate and apply abatement as laid down in Department of Public Expenditure and Reform circular 24/2022 as of 1 January 2023.”
“In effect, this meant that those retired workers could receive the full benefit of their salary and their pension. This temporary Covid emergency waiver ended on 31 March 2021, when the abatement policy for the health sector returned to normal, in line with all other sectors. It is the case that some retired persons remained in employment beyond the March 2021 date. The Department of Health issued a communication to the HSE on 15 January 2021, informing it that the waiver was to cease on 22 January 2021. The HSE issued a communication to its own management teams. This information was also made available to all staff on the HSE website.”
“According to the most recent OECD report, Ireland has 12.8 practising nurses per 1,000 population, which is the second highest number among the reported EU countries, second only to Finland. In comparison, the UK currently has 8.7 nurses per 1,000 population. It is true that during Covid many retired nurses returned to work in the HSE to support the national response to the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, when a retired public or civil servant returns to work in the public sector, they can only be reimbursed to the value of their final salary, and their pension is abated accordingly during the period of employment. However, to support retired workers to return to work during the Covid emergency, the then Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approved a temporary waiver of pension abatement.”
“I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this issue. Before I start, it is important to acknowledge the incredible work performed by all nurses and the key role they play in delivering essential health services to those most in need across the country, not only during Covid but every day of the week. This Government is committed to supporting and continuing to grow the nursing workforce. We have seen unprecedented growth in the health sector workforce, with record levels of recruitment in the HSE over the past five years. There are over 29,000 more staff working in the health system today than there were at the beginning of 2020, an increase of more than 24%, which includes an additional 10,154 nurses and midwives.”
“These posts will support capacity building in our front-line emergency services, the continued expansion of alternative care pathways and help further development of specialist services, such as aeromedical services and critical care retrieval services. Through continued investment in recent years, the NAS has made considerable progress in implementing an ambitious programme of reform, transforming from what was a traditional emergency response service into a quick emergency medical response. I apologise that I will not get to say everything I want, but I assure the Senator of the continued commitment of the Minister, Deputy MacNeill, her Department and ourselves and that we are working seriously on what we can do and in terms of the investment going into this.”
“I know the Senator’s commitment and hard work and that he is very passionate about this. I concentrated in the first part of my opening statement on ambulance response performance and resourcing in the Cavan and Monaghan areas. I will now focus briefly on funding of services nationally. This Government has consistently committed to investing in the NAS in recent years. The total allocation for the NAS this year alone will be €285 million, representing a significant increase on the previous year. The allocation this year includes €8 million for new service deployments, converting to €16 million in 2026, delivering up to 180 additional posts.”
“As well as front-line urgent and emergency care, the NAS is developing and expanding a range of appropriate alternative care pathways to improve patient flow and reduce pressure on emergency departments. I welcome the deployment of the NAS community paramedic to the Cavan ambulance base, where they will operate outside of their normal emergency response role to provide care in the community for lower acuity patients. I have also been informed that the NAS plans to increase the number of community and specialist paramedics in Cavan and Monaghan over the year, broadening the range of services offered in the area. I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff of the National Ambulance Service for their commitment and dedication to patient care, in both the Cavan and Monaghan areas and across the country.”
“NAS staffing numbers in the region have grown recently, with an increase of 11%, or 28 staff, in the past 12 months alone. In line with international best practice, NAS resources nationally, including in the Cavan and Monaghan region, are deployed dynamically and are actively changing. This means that the NAS prioritises resource allocation to the highest acuity of calls that require an immediate emergency response in direct response to patient needs. The NAS’s operation of dynamic deployment does mean that Cavan and Monaghan may, from time to time, be supported by NAS bases and staff from neighbouring counties to ensure adequate coverage and rostering for both emergency ambulance and rapid response vehicles.”
“Despite the significant increase in demand, ambulance response performance improved both nationally and in the north Leinster region when compared to performance for 2023. The HSE national service plan sets out key performance indicators, KPIs, for cardiac life-threatening calls, designated as "purple", or other potential life-threatening calls, designated as "red", to be responded to by an ambulance in less than 19 minutes. In 2024, the HSE KPIs reported 73.2% against a target of 75% for purple calls, and 46.2% against a target of 45% for red calls, in north Leinster, which covers Cavan and Monaghan. Performance for purple and red calls was 77.7% and 47.7%, respectively, an improvement when compared to 2023. The Senator also raised the matter of NAS staffing and staff deployment in the Cavan and Monaghan area.”
“In addition, Cavan and Monaghan are covered by the NAS national emergency operation centre clinical hub, 12 active community first responders groups comprising six in Cavan and six in Monaghan, the aeromedical support provided by the NAS emergency aeromedical support services in Athlone, and the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue service in Sligo. On NAS emergency response times, I am informed that patient demand for the services continues to rise both nationally as well as in the north Leinster area, which covers Cavan and Monaghan. In 2024, 430,000 urgent and emergency calls were received from the public, representing an 8% increase nationally on the previous year. In the north Leinster area, call volumes increased by 14,662 calls during the same period.”
“I worked with the Senator in this Chamber for many years. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, regarding his request for information on National Ambulance Service, NAS, response times and staffing for Cavan and Monaghan. The NAS serves Cavan and Monaghan from four ambulance bases, in Cavan, Virginia, Monaghan and Castleblayney, covering the entire area. All four bases are staffed by a highly skilled workforce of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners including paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians. The NAS operates a fleet of modern emergency ambulances, intermediate care vehicles and rapid response vehicles from these bases.”
“Downtime and the servicing of radiotherapy equipment can also result in challenges to treatment times and that seems to be another issue. The HSE makes every effort to address this, including through the use of outsourcing where required. This enables more timely access while improvements regarding staffing and other issues are being made. The additional €23 million made available in budget 2025 for the national cancer strategy will support a further expansion in cancer services. This funding means that over €105 million has been invested in the strategy since 2017. I again thank the Senator for raising this issue. I understand that there is not a family in Ireland that has not been affected in some way by cancer. It is a priority for us as a Government.”
“I thank the Senator for her contribution on this matter. I acknowledge the efforts made by the NCCP and the HSE to improve compliance with radiation therapy targets of having at least 90% of patients beginning their treatment within 15 working days of being deemed fit for treatment. The most up-to-date figures, from January 2025, show compliance of 81% compared with last year's compliance of 73%. I know that we need to do more, I totally understand the concerns there and it is something we are working on. As I mentioned earlier, staffing shortfall can be a significant factor in hospitals meeting the treatment target. While staffing continues to improve, more progress is needed and funding has been given this year to the implementation of recommendations of the national radiation therapist review report.”
“The Government remains fully committed to continued implementation of the national cancer strategy and improving radiation therapy capacity to ensure timely treatments for patients. This will build on the progress already made in improving survivorship and the quality of life for cancer patients.”
“Additional training places are being made available and professional registration requirements have been reviewed to bring Ireland into line with international comparators. The HSE recognises the importance of timely access to treatment. Where deemed clinically necessary, patients have been referred to private service providers. Investment of around €10 million per year is spent on outsourcing radiotherapy appointments to ensure timely treatment. Additional measures to improve waiting times and patient outcomes also include the clinical implementation of stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy, SABR, and stereotactic radiosurgery, SRS. These treatments have the benefit of being delivered in fewer sessions compared with conventional radiotherapy.”
“The NCCP advises that a range of factors can impact the HSE's ability to reach the target, including, in particular, challenges in the radiotherapy workforce. Staff shortages were actively addressed in March of this year. The shortfall was between 14% and 22% compared with a shortfall of 30% at the same time last year. A national radiation therapist review report was completed in 2024 and made 16 recommendations. These recommendations are intended to support and enhance the radiation therapy profession. Funding was allocated in 2025 to support actions arising from the review. This includes funding for additional staff and six advance practice posts for radiation therapy.”
“This will mean that in excess of €105 million will have been invested in the strategy since 2017, which will have enabled the recruitment of more than 670 staff to our national cancer services. Capital funding of more than €140 million has been used to provide state-of-the-art radiation oncology facilities in Galway and Cork, to update chemotherapy wards and lab facilities, and to invest in the new national cervical screening laboratory. The HSE national cancer control programme, NCCP, has set a target of 90% of patients commencing radiotherapy treatment within 15 working days of being deemed ready to treat by a radiation oncologist. In 2024, the national compliance with this target was 73%. In January 2025, the most recently available data indicated that the national compliance rate has risen to 81%.”
“I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this matter. Successful national cancer strategies have delivered continuing improvement in outcomes in Irish cancer patients. The benefit of our strategic approach cancer control is shown by the improvement in the number of patients living after having received a cancer diagnosis: more than 200,000 people now compared with 150,000 when the strategy was brought to Government in 2017. Significant funding has been provided to cancer services over a number of years. In budget 2025, €23 million was secured for the national cancer strategy, including funding for the expansion of cancer screening and community cancer support centres.”
“The funding includes €200,000 for additional PrEP drugs and €350,000 for additional staffing in public STI clinics providing PrEP from July 2025. I understand the Deputy's concerns. As I said, this strategy is urgent for us. I assure him that hopefully in the next few weeks or maybe two or three months, I will definitely come back to him with this strategy. As he said, education and information are really important. Stigma is a big issue that we need to address. I will be delighted to work with the Deputy and do whatever I can to help and support him.”
“The rates of gonorrhoea and chlamydia had reduced slightly by the end of 2024 in comparison with the last two years. Better access to testing may be reducing onward infections. The national sexual health strategy supports positive sexual health information. It will have education, research, prevention and information, particularly on stigma. All this will be in the strategy.”
“This funding includes €200,000 for additional PrEP drugs and €350,000 for additional staffing in public STI clinics providing PrEP from July 2025. These measures will increase capacity for in-person PrEP appointments. Furthermore, an additional €600,000 has been allocated to support the free STI home-testing scheme, bringing funding for STI home-testing to €4.82 million in 2025. A lot of work has been done on this and I assure the Deputy that this will be done as soon as possible when we get the go-ahead.”
“Sexual health is a priority for this Government. Following expert advice, the second national sexual health strategy underwent an additional round of stakeholder consultation and feedback, which is now complete. The good news is that the strategy was approved to progress to design stage at the end of last week. Once design is completed, the strategy will be submitted for ministerial and Government approval, then launched. It will be launched quite soon. The strategy will be supported by an action plan that will map out implementation in more detail for the first three years of its term. HIV and STI rates have been rising both nationally and internationally. Consequently, we allocated funding of €550,000 for 2025 to support the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis scheme, bringing the total allocation for HIV PrEP to €6.45 million.”
“This new funding will enhance access to delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community and strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use among children and young people to minimise the harms of drug use for families and communities. There is not a family or someone they know that has not been touched by drugs. It is important that we get this right. I thank the Senator for raising this question with me.”
“Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future sets out the Government's commitment to a health-led approach to drug use. The key actions to support this commitment include assessing the outcomes of the national drug strategy; publication of a new strategy; diverting those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services, which is a matter the Senator is passionate about; increasing funding for drug treatment services; and launching a major awareness campaign on the impact of drugs on society. To support the implementation of the new strategy, I will shortly announce details of an additional €4.2 million to be provided under budget 2025.”
“It is my intention to engage with the Oireachtas in implementing this new strategy because I am conscious that we need to have cross-party support for it. We all need to work together on this.”
“It contains 36 recommendations on prevention, harms reduction, treatment and recovery. The Joint Committee on Drugs Use supported the recommendations in its interim report in October 2024. As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drug strategy, I look forward to finalising the draft of the new strategy in the coming months. We cannot be complacent as to the societal harms and dangers associated with illicit drug use and a volatile drug market. The new strategy will set out an ambitious vision for preventing drug use, improving access to evidence-based treatment services and supporting people’s recovery from drug use. It will also strengthen co-operation with EU member states, the British-Irish Council and the Council of Europe in addressing the challenges of illicit drug use.”
“The themes of the consultations include priorities for the new strategy; planning and delivery of drug services in the HSE health regions; the lived and living experience of people who use drugs and their families, which I know the Senator is passionate about and is important; the development of the drugs workforce; and drug prevention. More than 250 people have attended the consultations to date. These include representatives of drug and alcohol task forces, drug service providers and civil society organisations. The consultations are being facilitated and reported upon by independent consultants. I expect to receive the reports of the consultations shortly. A key component of the new strategy will be the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use. The report argues for a comprehensive health-led response to drugs.”
“At the same time, the Department of Health has commenced work on preparing a new national drugs strategy. The new strategy will be informed by the evaluation, which is looking at the existing strategy, the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use, the programme for Government, developments in the EU drugs strategy and action plan, and consultations with stakeholders, which is an important matter to the Senator. To support the development of the next strategy, the Department has convened a number of in-person consultations with key stakeholders.”
“The completion of this strategic action plan marks the end of the current national drugs strategy, as the Senator mentioned. The Department of Health has commissioned an independent evaluation of the strategy and the action plan, which is expected, and we are hoping, will be completed in the second quarter of 2025. The evaluation is being conducted, as the Senator said, by Grant Thornton, which was appointed following a public procurement process. It will consult with stakeholders involved in the oversight of the strategy, including the network of drug and alcohol task forces and organisations such the National Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Sector, UISCE, CityWide and other community-based drug services. This is part of the programme, and this is what we need to look at.”
“I am delighted to be talking to the Senator about this matter today. The strategic action plan 2023-24 marked a significant milestone in the implementation of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. It contained 34 actions across six strategic priorities. These were to: strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people; enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in our communities; develop integrated care pathways for high-risk drug users to achieve better health outcomes; address the social determinants and consequences of drug use in disadvantaged communities; promote alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug-related offences; and strengthen evidence-informed and outcomes-focused practice, services, policies and strategy implementation.”
“I thank the Senator. I know how passionate she is about drugs policy. As she said, she has been working on this area for a long time and working with people in her community. Regarding the answers I do not get to today, I guarantee to her that I will meet her in the next few days and come back to her, if that is fair enough.”
“As I said, the HPRA has been notified by Xenon Pharmaceuticals of an expected return on 7 March. In relation to new HRT measures, the Minister for Health met the Irish Pharmacy Union on 11 February to discuss her objectives for expanding and reforming community pharmacy and to progress the HRT initiative in budget 2025. That is crucial. This was a constructive engagement and the Minister listened to issues raised by the IPU which committed to come back to her regarding the introduction of HRT measures. The IPU has now responded with further information which is being considered by the Department. The goal remains to introduce the measures as soon as possible; reimbursement supports will be available to participating pharmacies from that date and these measures commence. I agree with and thank the Senator for bringing this to my attention.”
“Half our population is women but unfortunately this is where we are at the moment. I will continue to work with the Senator.”
“The HPRA continues to engage with suppliers of medicines subject to persistent shortages to understand the responses of the company to meet the increase in demand and to introduce necessary measures to prevent shortages from occurring. This is the real issue now. Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, the company responsible for supplying Estradot, has notified the HPRA of a shortage of Estradot 37.5 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg and 100 mg patches. The HPRA has been notified of an expected return date, as the Minister told me, of 7 March 2025 for the three presentations but is currently unable to advise on a date for the 37.5 microgram patch. The HPRA has also engaged with suppliers to explore opportunities for regulatory flexibility. I understand this is probably not the answer the Senator wanted. I understand the seriousness of this issue.”
“Persistent product shortages across this therapeutic area of HRT have been managed and continue to be managed via the framework, operated by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA. Suppliers and manufacturers of HRT have notified shortages of HRT products due to manufacturing delays. The HPRA understands from recent meetings with HRT suppliers that shortages have been compounded by a significant increase in demand for HRT globally. Hence shortages of HRT products continue to be notified not just in Ireland but in other countries as well. The HPRA, with other parties across the health service, continues to monitor overall national supply of a single therapy and the current picture is that HRT medicines remain generally available, and this includes oral products.”
“The legislation that has been passed means where a woman has been prescribed a HRT product by her healthcare provider to alleviate the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, the cost of the HRT medications or products will be met by the State. This measure is for women who have been prescribed HRT by their healthcare provider. The measure applies to HRT products reimbursable by the HSE under the community drug schemes. The Department of Health and HSE have been engaging with the representative body for community pharmacists, the Irish Pharmacy Union, on the practical roll-out of this measure. There is a medicines shortage framework in place which involves a multi-stakeholder approach to handling shortages of human medicinal products. This is the problem.”
“I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important issue. I totally agree with her. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, about this. Substantial progress has been made in recent years to support women through their menopause journeys. A number of medicines are authorised for use in Ireland as hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of menopause. Budget 2025 announced the intention to fund the cost of HRT products prescribed to women to help manage the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause. This is supported by a €20 million per annum investment by Government. This new measure aims to relieve some of the cost burden associated with HRT products.”
“The review will identify improvements to the current system of GP care as part of the primary care focused health service. The review is to be completed early this year with a report to be presented to our Minister for consideration and the next steps. There is a commitment that we are working on this and we will come back to the House when we have more information. I thank the Members. I am honoured and delighted to be working with the Minister for Health and the Ministers of State. All of us working together want to improve the system and make sure we have better access for people to services.”
“Significant funding of €76 million, including the €23 million in 2025, has been invested in the national cancer strategy since 2020. I assure Members that this is a priority for us. The other issue brought up was GPs. The Government is committed to supporting general practitioners, increasing the number of GPs, and improving access to GP services for patients. A strategy review of general practice is under way, examining issues across five areas: GP training, GP capacity, the ehealth agenda, out-of-hours reform and the supportive model for GPs. The review is led by the Department of Health in partnership with the HSE and relevant stakeholders, including the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners.”