Martin Daly
Roscommon-Galway · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The relationship between Ireland and Spain is hugely important with €15 billion in total in trade, including €10 billion in goods and services from Ireland to Spain, a country that is in the European Union and has shared our values, culture and history. It was a hugely important meeting and is a hugely important relationship.”
“I accept that answer and I thank the Minister very much for that update. It is important because people sometimes equate healthcare with hospital beds, but that is not reality. In isolation, beds cannot provide for the healthcare needs of the public.”
“I thank the Minister very much. We had the excellent Professor Rose Anne Kenny, co-ordinator of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, TILDA, in recently with the health committee. She pointed out the demographic challenge we are facing in health.”
“I ask the Minister for an update on the plan to increase the capacity of inpatient beds by 4,000 or 4,500 across the country and if she will make a statement on the matter. We know we currently have 12,000 public beds and 2,500 private beds, which is about 2.9 beds per thousand of the population.”
“We will probably start with proper screening programmes at the age of 50, with the whole population moving into better-resourced primary care, step-down beds and rehabilitation beds. I also support Deputy Seán Kyne’s call for the Minister to press for the 300 additional beds in UHG.”
“I wish to ask if the Government has or is developing a policy for the development of industrial hemp production in Ireland. Industrial hemp is a remarkable plant.”
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“I have a case involving a patient who has critical ischemia of her leg. She is a hard-working woman in her 60s. Twice she has had to be admitted to hospital and twice she has been sent out. She needs a procedure done. She has now been sitting for two weeks in a bed in UHG because they cannot get theatre time to do the procedure she requires. That is simply not a productive system. We have people who have given up on certain specialties, such as dermatology, rheumatology and others, in the west because they cannot get access. I completely agree with the Minister and she has my full support for any productivity reforms. We also need to deal with the fact that our health service has not been digitalised. We are off the record.”
“The vast majority of the very considerable investment by the State over the last five years has continued to go into hospital care and acute care and not enough has gone into developing primary care. We have the longest waiting lists for speech therapy, psychology, community physiotherapy and speech and language therapy in the community. Unless we fix that capacity in the community in tandem with the acute service, we will not see the end of these waiting lists.”
“We have a situation where we cannot discharge patients from a level 4 hospital, namely, UHG because there are not any step-down beds and not enough rehabilitation beds or enough home-help hours. In addition, we have a level 4 hospital that is purporting to carry out all the services of a level 4 hospital without having that capacity. We need a commitment to a new hospital in the west, at UHG in Galway. In addition, we have a situation where there has been an over-reliance on the private developer-delivered primary care centres and also an over-reliance on individual GPs to deliver that infrastructure. If we are completely serious about the interconnectivity of our health service, we need to get some of that investment into primary care.”
“There are brilliant people working in the public health service who do their work very well but we can acknowledge, and I think the Minister acknowledges, that there are some hospitals in areas of the country where that productivity is not apparent. I will speak about the HSE West and North West region. In the past, at the health committee, the Minister acknowledged there are issues around discharge and management of patient flows. The west and north west is the poorest region of the country, with the highest proportion of the population in receipt of disability payments and the highest proportion of the population in receipt of a full medical card.”
“This fits in with the rest of the debate going on here. It is to ask the Minister about the targets for the inpatient waiting times. I acknowledge her focus on productivity and reform within the health service. Deputy Neville has pointed out that with all these things it is an ecosystem and they are interconnected. If you cannot have an efficient admission and discharge policy for both elective and acute, you will end up with long waiting lists.”
“I am also happy the Taoiseach has taken the opportunity to point out the deficiency in human rights in China because that is extremely important and something that would be expected by the Irish people of our Taoiseach in visiting China.”
“Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. He is a good man. I welcome the Taoiseach's visit to China. It is an extremely important visit strategically and economically for Ireland in an increasingly uncertain international climate. It is absolutely clear that there are, as has been pointed out, two superpowers in this world at the moment but that the European Union and other like-minded trading nations need to keep their options open and develop new trade and new ties based on international rules of trade and politics. It is clear that, as a small trading nation, we must keep our options open at all times and develop new markets for our industries that we grow here. In addition to that, with the growth of more indigenous industries we need to create links to China, which is a huge market.”
“It is about raising awareness because it is the most prevalent genetic disease in Ireland. It is called "the Celtic curse".”
“I thank the Minister for that. This is really important. Haemochromatosis was a hidden disease up to maybe 20 years ago. People would appear late in the disease with diabetes and liver failure and die from this condition. Thankfully, there is greater awareness in recent times. It was in my own family. My father had it and it was in his family. It can be managed very well. We need to diagnose it early. We need to be absolutely aware of how common it is. I do not think many people are aware of that. It can be simply treated in primary care. When we talk about capacity in general practitioner surgeries, that is an issue because while the State has a fee for GPs to do the venesection in their surgeries, many do not have the capacity to do so. People with haemochromatosis end up in hospital at some distance from their own homes.”
“I am taking this on behalf of Deputy Byrne but it is something close to my own heart as well. It is to ask the Minister about the Government's strategy to raise awareness of haemochromatosis. Haemochromatosis is a disease that causes iron overload in the body. It is a genetically inherited disease. It is the most prevalent genetic disease in Ireland. One in 20 people will carry part of the gene and one fifth of those will develop full-blown iron overload.”
“We need to find a way of getting the full contribution from GP training, in that the State has invested huge amounts of money to get them into general practitioner services in the country, so that it can be sustainable into the future.”
“I acknowledge the investment of the State in general practitioner services over the past number of years. I think the Minister would recognise that with our growing population - 90,000 a year - the increased expectation and sophistication in what they want from a functioning health service has increased. We are not accelerating the capacity at the rate we are going to have to. We are talking about having 6,000 GPs in 15 years' time in order to meet that demand. We have 4,200 GPs who are registered as GPs but they are not whole-time equivalents. Many of them are in part-time practice. That is just the changing way people and younger doctors work.”
“-----and that has suited the State well in recent years. The Minister is right that if a GP has a GMS contract, he or she is obliged to be available and provide an out-of-hours service. Many younger GPs are choosing not to sign GMS contracts with the State because of that obligation. I agree 100% with the Minister that we really need to rethink the out-of-hours framework. It may well need to be separate from the GP contract because an increasingly older population of GPs are carrying that out-of-hours burden. We need to rethink premises. We are relying on a private developer model. That has not worked in many rural or inner-city areas where we need State-led, HSE built premises - I would say rent free - to attract GPs to those areas. Finally, we need public salary GPs in some remote rural areas and in deprived urban areas.”
“What are the Minister's plans for a new GP contract and what is the progress on the strategic review of general practice? I ask this in the context of our growing population, the increasing expectations and demands on our health service, the increasing expense of secondary and tertiary care, and the long-term need to treat patients with less complex problems in the most appropriate setting - namely, a primary care setting - by GPs and supported by full primary care teams.”
“With regard to the linear accelerators, it has been expressed to me that part of the problem is a very slow procurement process, especially for those older machines, which have been in service far longer than internationally recommended. I have been told that, when some of the components break down, not only are the machines taken out of operation for up to three weeks, but the replacement components can cost €300,000 to €400,000. In the context of a machine that costs €2 million to €3 million, that seems inexplicable.”
“In talking about management and productivity, the Minister will find an ally in me. She has pointed this out very clearly since she began her tenure as Minister for Health. I agree with her 100%. I acknowledge the investment by the Department and the HSE in the linear accelerators in Galway. That is a hugely welcome development but, as the Minister has quite rightly pointed out, the figures for the time between point of diagnosis and getting to chemotherapy are not meeting the targets in the west of Ireland. We should not have that regional disparity. I am getting off the point but the Minister has acknowledged that, which is very honest of her.”
“I am asking this question out of concern rather than as a challenge. We heard a presentation from the Irish Cancer Society and Professor Gerry Hanna last week. From the information the Minister is getting from the HSE and from what we are being told, the international standard is to replace a linear accelerator that is being fully used after eight to ten years. The Minister has raised issues around productivity and management of this infrastructure. It appears the procurement process has been held up for the replacement of those older devices, which have been around for 18 years. I believe there are three of these. They will have been in place for nearly 20 years when they are replaced. With regard to the age profile of our infrastructure, it appears we are an outlier within the European Union.”
“The number of linear accelerators in use in radiotherapy in the State is 22. Following the discussion we have just had about the cancer strategy, will the Minister make a statement on the procurement and replacement programme by the HSE for new linear accelerators? A number of the accelerators are reaching the age of 18 and the recommended international replacement time is eight to ten years. It costs a lot of money to maintain them.”
“Most important, the voices of patients and their families must continue to shape the reforms we implement. Ireland is fortunate to have highly skilled clinicians and healthcare professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for children. We must have systems that support their skills and deliver robust, transparent and accountable care. Our responsibility in this House is to ensure lessons from these events lead to lasting change. We have had too many inquiries and too many failures. We owe that to the children affected, to the families who fought tirelessly for service and for answers, and to every patient who puts their trust in our health service.”
“Additional surgical time has been ring fenced. A spinal surgery management unit and ministerial task force have been established to oversee progress. That must be acknowledged but with this investment must come progress, timely access and interventions in a high-quality environment with robust systemic and clinical governance. We must rebuild trust with performance that is audited and transparent. Families must see real change, shorter waiting times, better oversight, safer governance structures and better communication from healthcare providers. We need a healthcare culture that empowers clinicians and staff to raise concerns early, encourages multidisciplinary collaboration and ensures patient safety is always the overriding priority.”
“Families and citizens deserve answers and they deserve assurance that lessons are being learned. That inquiry process is now entering a scoping phase, which will help to determine the terms of reference and structure required to fully examine what went wrong and how to prevent it happening again. The terms of reference need to be expansive enough to assuage public concern and focused enough to identify the issues without obfuscation. As we wait for the outcome of these historical inquiries, we must drive forward to improve care for patients currently waiting for treatment. The Minister has driven change with zeal in the past 12 months. Governance issues have been addressed with wider and more inclusive decision-making. Capacity has been expanded through domestic and international outsourcing arrangements.”
“Over the past number of years, a series of reviews and investigations have highlighted serious shortcomings within the system. Clinical reviews of complex spinal surgeries carried out between 2018 and 2022 identified extraordinarily high complication rates, including infection rates exceeding 70%, and the need for repeat surgeries in a majority of cases within one cohort. These findings have, understandably, shocked families and the wider public. Further investigations also exposed significant governance failures, including the use of implantable devices that did not have the appropriate regulatory approval, and also shortcomings in oversight, documentation and ethical processes. We must be clear that when failures occur in health care systems, and particularly when they involve children, transparency and accountability are essential.”
“At the centre of this discussion are children and parents who have endured years of uncertainty, long waiting times and after all of that in some cases have had devastating medical outcomes in a system that would appear to have been dysfunctional with the failure of organisational and clinical governance. The response of the system to families' concerns and distress has in the past been defensive and paternalistic. Their experiences must remain at the heart of how we respond as legislators and policymakers. The inquiries must establish the facts and the consequences of those facts. Notwithstanding due process and natural justice, these inquiries have to be acute in their examination of how and why we arrived at this juncture.”
“I will start by acknowledging the Minister's statement. She has dealt with the issues - the surgical mismanagement of children with scoliosis and hip dysplasia in CHI, the sodium valproate injury cases and the Michael Shine abuse case - in an open and comprehensive manner. The Minister has established the process by which senior counsel Farrell and Staines will establish the statutory public inquiries into CHI and Michael Shine, and she has spoken about the ongoing non-statutory inquiry into the harm done to pregnant women and to children who were prescribed sodium valproate. I commend the Minister on her commitment to the ongoing audits of the developmental dysplastic hip review and phase 2 of the Nayagam report. I first want to address the care of children with scoliosis and complex spinal conditions.”
“I would appreciate the support of the Taoiseach in ensuring this case is reviewed urgently at the highest level, so that Oliver's best interests come first.”
“With the full permission of his parents, I want to raise the case of 15-year-old Oliver, a young person with severe autism and PANDAS. The State is currently spending approximately €700,000 on a residential placement that independent clinicians have warned is unsafe and unsuitable for him. His parents have documented repeated safeguarding concerns and HIQA has raised serious issues with the oversight of his care. Despite the ongoing engagement by his parents and my office, no clear pathway can be found. His parents are not seeking additional funding. Rather, they are willing to build a purpose designed extension at their home and are simply asking that the existing funding follows their child so he can receive his clinically assessed two-to-one care package safely at home at roughly half the current cost.”
“I want to raise an issue in the west and north-west health region, which recorded 1,263 delayed transfers of care in 2025 due specifically to the absence of stepdown and rehabilitation capacity. Against that reality, a ten-bed rehabilitation unit, which was promised to Roscommon University Hospital in 2015 and had progressed to detailed design phase 1, was included in the 2025 capital plan. It has now been omitted again in the 2026 capital plan, having been absent in 2024 despite lobbying by me. This was a practical, deliverable project intended to support patient flow across hospitals in Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny. Will the Taoiseach make a statement on the matter?”
“We have the longest waiting lists for primary care, the longest number of hours on trolleys and the longest delay between diagnosis of cancer and getting to cancer treatment. It appears the region with the most need is receiving the least resources.”
“Figures I received in reply to a recent parliamentary question show that HSE west-north west accounted for 1,263 delayed transfers of care from hospital into the community due to lack of access to residential care, care in the community and rehabilitation. That accounts for one third of the national average in spite of HSE west-north west looking after less than one fifth of population. Of those delays, 938 related to residential care, which is roughly half the national figure for that category. This is the region that has the highest number of medical cards and the highest number of people in receipt of disability. We are talking about Roscommon, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and west Cavan.”
“We have been supported from the EU in the development of a modern, sophisticated State with full employment, and during the financial crash and Brexit. We owe solidarity to the smaller countries of the Union that, like ourselves, depend on operating through a large bloc.”
“We have been talking for years about developing indigenous industry, and this Government has been investing in research and development. That is not say we should not continue to keep our communications to our allies and friends in the US open when productive and in the event of change of policy after the mid-term elections. However, it appears the world has changed, and we should not depend on it going back to the way it was. We have seen the supply chain disruptions caused by Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine and a sense that the US has disengaged from its long-standing commitment to the security of Europe. While Europe has already woken from that complacency we in Ireland will have to re-evaluate our own commitment to our own security, irrespective of our military neutrality.”
“Canadian Prime Minister Carney has identified and pointed the way in this regard. He has alluded to the weaponisation of coercive economic integration, tariffs, financial services and supply chains. Canada is not Ireland. It is bigger, richer and has natural resources, but it has depended on the benign integration of the majority of its trade with its southern neighbour. Since that threat came 12 months ago, Prime Minister Carney has responded deftly with a committed 1 trillion Canadian dollars in trade diversification and resilience measures like new east-west ports, new east-west rail infrastructure and the purchase of defence technology from Sweden that gives them control and autonomy over its use rather than continued dependence on the US. It is prepared to develop new markets in Europe and Asia. We have to learn from this example.”
“As a small country we are living in a time of flux and realignment. Because of our size and open trading economy we have to, as we have in the past, be prepared to navigate uncertain times. If we ever needed reminding, we need to use our position in the European Union to negotiate with a block that has heft and power in an age where it appears might equals right and supersedes international law. Those who say our foreign policy should be solely values driven are out of touch. As a small trading nation, we need to prosecute a foreign policy that is in our national interests if we are to maintain living standards and services. In a world where large political blocs seem determined to carve up spheres of influence and control we have to operate through the European Union. To do anything else would be foolhardy in the extreme.”
“Rather, it focuses on one product category that introduces avoidable risk and waste into everyday use. Considered from a health and environmental perspective, it is difficult to justify leaving this issue unaddressed.”
“They usually have to be disassembled by hand, a slow and tricky process which struggles to match the avalanche of vapes that are produced and discarded. The lithium-ion batteries in these vapes can also cause fires, which risks the safety of waste management workers, fire fighters and the public. International evidence reinforces the point. Other jurisdictions are now grappling with the scale of battery waste created by single-use vapes and the loss of critical materials that are in short supply. At a time when the State is investing heavily in electrification, energy storage and sustainable supply chains, continuing to permit a disposable electronic product of this kind is increasingly difficult to defend. The Bill does not attempt to resolve every issue associated with vaping.”
“Last year, Material Focus estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. That is the equivalent of eight being thrown away every second. This is an extremely wasteful use of valuable resources contained in these vapes, such as cobalt and copper. In 2022, the same group found that 40 tonnes of lithium were discarded in single-use vapes in the UK. That is the same amount used to power 5,000 electric vehicles. We can extrapolate those figures to Ireland. For the small number of single-use vapes that are sent for recycling, it is a difficult job because they contain many chemical components and they are not designed to be taken apart.”
“They combine plastic, metal and lithium-ion batteries into a product intended for a very short lifespan. Millions of them are sold each year in Ireland. Most are not recycled. Many enter our general waste streams. Others end up in our streets and public spaces. Our litter monitoring already reflects this trend. As well as being eyesores, discarded vapes have a hugely damaging impact on our environment and wildlife. Whether littered or thrown in a bin and sent to landfill, single-use vapes also release substances, including lead and mercury, into our soil, rivers and streams. The plastics used in these products are nearly impossible for nature to completely break down. Instead, they break into tiny pieces of microplastics, which can enter our food chains.”
“It is occurring at scale. While there is ongoing debate about vaping as a harm reduction tool for established smokers, there is no clinical or public health rationale for a product format that lowers the threshold for nicotine initiation as far as possible. This Bill draws that distinction carefully. It does not attempt to relitigate every aspect of vaping policy. It does not deny that some adults use regulated vaping products to move away from tobacco. It targets a specific category that serves no essential cessation function but carries a disproportionate share of risk, especially for young people. This is proportionate regulation. There is also a broader responsibility here and it is one the public increasingly understands. Disposable vapes are electronic waste by design.”
“We know, perversely, that youths who vape are also more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future. We know the additional risks of e-cigarette aerosols, with cancer causing chemicals and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead and tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, with volatile organic compounds increasing risk of chronic lung disease. In the UK, a prospective longitudinal study is being carried out with 100,000 children between the ages of eight and 18 for over ten years to try to learn what is happening to their systems. That is why the evidence on youth vaping matters. Irish and European data show high levels of experimentation among teenagers, and a significant proportion of teenagers are current users. That tells us something important, namely, that this is not confined to a small high-risk group.”
“That design choice is the issue before us. Nicotine is not benign. It alters neurodevelopment when exposure begins early, reinforces dependence pathways and produces measurable cardiovascular effects, even in young users. In clinical practice, addiction rarely begins with a dramatic moment. It develops through repetition, accessibility and normalisation. Products that remove barriers to that use accelerate that process, and disposable vapes do exactly that. While we are not certain of the long-term health impacts of vaping, we know the effects of nicotine exposure and addiction, nicotine toxicity in pregnancy and nicotine harm to brain development until about the age of 25, and we know that adolescents who use nicotine may be at increased risk for future addiction to other drugs.”
“I support the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 because it addresses a regulatory gap that now carries real, not abstract, consequences for health, the environment and the coherence of our public health and environmental policy. Disposable vapes occupy a peculiar position in our regulatory framework. They are legal and widely available, yet they combine elements we would rarely tolerate together, namely, an addictive substance, electronic waste and a design that actively discourages responsibility for responsible disposal. Much of the debate has focused on packaging, flavours, names and marketing. Those issues have already been addressed in Irish law. Even stripped of marketing gimmicks, however, the core problem remains. A single-use vape is a short-lived delivery system for nicotine, intended to be discarded and replaced.”
“We now have traffic congestion in Roscommon, which is something we could not have conceived of as a county town, at pinch points at rush hour. That is something I never thought I would hear myself say about Roscommon town and Boyle but there are tailbacks going into both towns.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his considered response. I reiterate the importance of this N61 route in County Roscommon, which also serves parts of east Galway and south-east Mayo, to make connectivity to the motorway at Athlone as well as the interconnection with a number of other national routes east-west along its route. I would also point out the very significant heavy volume of traffic especially between Athlone and Roscommon through the villages of Knockcroghery and Kiltoom, which represent a safety issue. There are traffic-calming measures at very many points on this national secondary route, which bring down the speed limits to 50 km/h which affects ease of access for traffic between Athlone and Sligo.”
“This is a piece of infrastructure that is vital for road safety, the national target of interconnectivity guaranteeing an average speed of 90 km/h between major growth centres, for economic activity and balanced strategic development for the west and north west. Roscommon County Council has included it in its county plans for the past 24 years. It made a submission to the Government in 2024. It was rebutted. I am not sure the reasons given at that time are legitimate. This is a hugely important and vital piece of infrastructure not only for County Roscommon but also for interconnectivity in the west and north west between the designated growth centres of Athlone and Sligo, which are also industrial centres for the west, and for the connectivity between the east-west national primary routes and secondary routes that cross the N61.”
“A number of intersections happen between the other primary routes of the N4, N5 and N6 which are the east-west connections and the secondary routes of N60 and N63. The volume of traffic between Athlone and Roscommon, in particular, and then onwards to Boyle is a source of significant concern. In addition to that, there is concern around connectivity. We have a dearth of public transport in County Roscommon and east Galway. We also have a massive deficit in infrastructural development. That is recognised at European Commission level in terms of the north-north west and the rest of the country. We rank very low in the European Commission’s index in relation to that infrastructural development.”
“Will new consideration be given to the upgrading of the N61 road to a national primary route in view of its strategic importance for Athlone, Roscommon and Boyle and the role such an upgrade would play in supporting balanced regional development, inward investment and improved road safety? Will the Tánaiste outline what steps have been taken by the Government and the Department of Transport to advance this designation? The N61 is a strategic road which links Athlone from the M6 to Boyle and onwards to Sligo. Athlone and Sligo are two designated growth centres and Athlone is the industrial base of County Roscommon. There is a range of issues. One is road safety and increased traffic.”
“We need a cultural change and stronger regulation, real age checks and limits on harmful content, algorithm transparency and honest imaging. Digital literacy must be a core skill. We have to challenge the idea that a young person's worth is measured in likes or appearance. Australia is carrying out a radical experiment, with the banning of many social media platforms for children under 16. Many young people are reporting withdrawal anxiety but this is a social experiment worth undertaking. We should monitor it carefully and extrapolate our own learnings. There is a trend about taking back control from this many-headed, self-perpetuating, profit-driven industry that knows only too well its own algorithms.”
“The emotional part of the adolescent brain develops faster than the critical thinking part. When teens are bombarded with ideal bodies, their reaction is immediate and emotional - "I do not look like that and I should". A recent study found that almost 30% of adolescents showed signs of body dysmorphic disorder, preoccupied with flaws they believed they had. The highest risk was among girls and older teens. This is not just about body insecurity. Eating disorders linked to body dissatisfaction have some of the highest mortality rates of any mental health illness. This is why online safety must be expanded beyond passwords and privacy. Algorithms are pushing extreme content because it keeps us watching. Filters are normalising bodies that do not exist. Right now, young people are paying the price.”
“When we talk about online safety, we usually think about passwords, scams or stranger danger. However, there is a different kind of danger, one that lives quietly in our social media feeds, namely, impossible to imagine beauty standards resulting in body dysmorphia which is shaping teenage mental health. Studies show that 97% of young people from the age of 12 upwards are on social media, often for hours a day. The impact is stark. By the age of 12, three out of four children already dislike their own bodies. Many report withdrawing from friends, overexercising and self harming following being compared or criticised online. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat surround us with filtered, edited and perfected images. Even when we know they are not real, our brains will still compare. For teenagers, that comparison is acute.”
“I welcome the new planning framework but I hope the Minister and Government will put pressure in our local authorities to deliver social housing, affordable housing and rezoned and de-zoned land. We have a situation in Roscommon town where there are 48 houses that were zoned in the early noughties and fell out in the economic crash. They have all the facilities, including electricity and wastewater treatment, and there is difficulty getting them rezoned again. That is simply not good enough in the midst of a housing crisis. I have four children in their twenties who are relatively privileged. They are well educated and have good jobs and they cannot get to the front door, even with a leg up, of a one-bedroom apartment. If they cannot get to it what hope is there for the rest of the young people in our community.”