Pádraig Rice
Cork South-Central · Social Democrats · Ireland
“There is no clinical reason this should not be extended to oral contraceptives. Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals. They should be allowed to operate at the top of their licence. They are available in every community and are very accessible.”
“I welcome the Bill. We spend a lot of time inside these Houses talking about other parts of reproductive healthcare and not enough about contraception, so it is really welcome that we are having a focus and discussion on it and are moving forward with changes.”
“The oral contraceptive pill has been around for well over half a century and is one of the safest and most well-studied medicines available. In 2019, the World Health Organization publicly stated that oral contraception should be available without needing prescription.”
“I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “Report on prescription-free oral contraceptives 4. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on a proposal to allow registered pharmacists to dispense prescription-free oral contracepti…”
“We are talking about the prescription of oral contraceptives as called for by the World Health Organization, as set out by the Irish Pharmacy Union and as endorsed by the previous health committee. We are looking for a report on that with the detail of the various elements, if more detail is required.”
“It is important that we allow pharmacists to operate at the top of their licence and give them as much power as possible, and alleviate pressures on GPs. As I said, this is recommended by the World Health Organization and endorsed by the previous health committee and the IPU. That is the background to this amendment.”
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“Patients and staff have been repeatedly let down by mismanagement and chronic understaffing. It clear from what we have heard this evening and in the report that there are massive cultural issues in CHI. We have also heard it from whistleblowers. We should not be dependent on whistleblowers to expose these issues. That points to the real failure within CHI and in the culture of the organisation. Children with spina bifida and scoliosis in particular have been failed time and again. Their parents have lost all faith in the organisation. I met a group of parents recently. Úna Keightley, one of the parents, said that parents had "been forced to become campaigners, researchers and watchdogs." Parents should not have to go to the media to tell their stories or to become experts in children's medicine.”
“In that report, the ombudsman said the previous spinal surgery waiting list targets were "totally detached from the reality of this condition, and the suffering it causes to children." The ombudsman recommended that no child wait more than four months. The ombudsman said in the report that children were impacted "both psychologically and physically" and that it was a violation of their right to health. In response, the then Minister for Health, now the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, promised that no child with scoliosis would wait more than four months for surgery, a commitment that was never honoured. Then, CHI was established in 2018. It has been dogged by controversy from the start. We have heard about grave failings in governance, oversight and internal communications that have never been addressed.”
“My doctor said it was referred pain which meant that other parts of my body were getting hurt because my body was leaning on them. That just totally freaked me out. The girl who I ended up sharing my room with in Crumlin, her organs were being crushed for the same reason. You are always thinking worst-case scenario, you know, that you might end up in a wheelchair if something goes wrong. It's not fair to live [in fear] like that when there is a treatment for it. She also referred to a meeting with a consultant who told her there was no timeframe for the surgery and "it could be two weeks or it could be 5 years." There are serious issues going back - that was the 2017 report from the Ombudsman for Children.”
“In 2014, a report on children's spina bifida services identified major service deficiencies and gross under-resourcing at local and national levels. Many of these recommendations remain unimplemented. In 2017, the Ombudsman for Children published a damning report on scoliosis surgery waiting lists that highlighted serious violations of the rights of a child. One case from the 2017 report was that of Harriet, who waited 17 months for surgery. I will read from the report to give a sense of the people and the pain they suffer. Harriet said: ... I was in too much pain and had to just stay in bed sometimes. [...] To explain, I was totally deformed, I was all off to one side. If I was lying on my side in bed, my rib cage would touch my hip on one side. The back pain wasn’t even the worst, my chest hurt a lot.”
“I welcome this important debate. As others have said, this is a serious issue. I have concerns about Government backbenchers trivialising it by talking about victories in camogie matches. That is perhaps something for them to reflect on. It is not appropriate. There are serious issues in the operation of Children's Health Ireland. We need to understand how we got here, the impact of the scandals on children and their families and where we go from here. I will touch on a few issues. I want to look at the pre-CHI historical issues, issues with CHI and the failure to address them, the HIQA report and looking to the future. There are serious issues with children's healthcare in Ireland. That is not new. We have reports spanning over a decade that set out serious concerns.”
“Will the commitment to commence the legislation on 1 June be met? Will the Government re-engage with the affected families and advocates? Will it once and for all provide equality for the children of Ireland?”
“Where is the promised amendment to the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill? In July of last year, the Dáil passed the first assisted human reproduction Bill, which has still not been commenced. A second Bill, to close the gaps in the law, was promised within weeks, but we still have no sight of it. Two days before the election, the then Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, wrote to campaigners to say that the legislation would be commenced on 1 June. That is two months from today, yet we still do not have a timeline for the Bill. Ten years on from the marriage equality referendum, we should not have the absurd situation for some families where one spouse is a legal parent and the other is a legal stranger. This is utterly unacceptable in a modern, inclusive republic. When will the second AHR Bill be published?”
“Will the Taoiseach immediately publish the pay and numbers strategy? Will he undertake credible workforce planning and honour the previous commitment to these funded posts and provide for safe staffing levels across our health services? This crisis cannot be allowed to continue.”
“From today, the crisis in our health service will deepen. This morning, 6,500 psychiatric nurses began industrial action in a dispute over unsustainable staffing levels. On Monday, a further 80,000 healthcare workers are planning to start a strict work to rule. At the core of this dispute is the pay and numbers strategy, a strategy which none of us has seen. This so-called strategy is just a recruitment embargo by another name. It has led to the introduction of severe recruitment caps, the abolition of thousands of funded posts and failure to fill maternity leave vacancies. These posts have disappeared overnight but patient need has not. Community waiting lists spiral. Infant developmental checks have been missed and radiotherapy machines lie idle. Why? Because if there is no staff, there are no services.”
“It means being the conveners and experts in peace talks and peace building. It means being trusted to lead those talks as a neutral country. It means continuing to be dedicated peacekeepers. It is about multilateralism, based on the principles of equality, inclusion and co-operation, that aims to foster a more peaceful, prosperous and stable world. It is about a central role for institutions such as the UN. For me, this is why the triple lock matters. In a world of ongoing wars, let us be the voice of peace and peacekeeping. In an era of increasing militarisation, let us not be afraid to be different, stand out and say, "Stop". In a time of increasing isolationism, let us lean into co-operation, multilateralism and the UN. Ultimately, it is time for a serious national debate on defence, neutrality and the triple lock.”
“I am deeply concerned about increasing militarisation in the world. Ireland has an important role to play on the world stage as a voice for peace and peacekeeping. That said, I am not blind to the increased threats we face. We need to be better prepared to defend ourselves and our vital infrastructure. I am also keenly aware of the threats faced by other members of the EU. We are, after all, a family of nations. I would like to strongly challenge the assertion of the Minister of State that we do not support EU membership. I am fully in support of EU membership. We need to consider how best we can contribute to the de-escalation of those threats. For me, this is through the wider promotion of peace, co-operation and shared prosperity. It involves greater dialogue, discussion and engagement at a global level.”
“We need to spend more time acknowledging the grey and shed light on the complex and challenging parts of these problems. We need to discuss these issues with due care and consideration. Ultimately, we need wider national debate. That is why we should put the question of a triple lock to the people. I was disappointed to hear a Fine Gael back bench TD recently describe the proposal of a plebiscite as "makey-uppy". Plebiscites have been held in the past. We had one in Limerick and Cork on the issue of directly elected mayor and there is no reason why we cannot pass enabling legislation to carry one out on another national policy issue. Equally, Articles 27 and 47 of the Constitution provide for ordinary referendums on policy issues which do not involve textual changes to the Constitution.”
“I start by acknowledging that we live in very turbulent and troubling times. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel's destruction of Gaza and Trump's threats of a trade war are examples of this. As a result, foreign policy debates like this are increasingly important. We need these discussions and debates on Ireland's role in the world, what it means to be neutral today and how we prepare for a less certain tomorrow. It is also important to acknowledge from the off that these are complicated and complex policy areas. Since becoming a TD a few short months ago, I have noticed that many issues across many policy areas are often presented in black and white terms. This does a disservice to debates, the Dáil and the people who elect us.”
“The Government must act strong in defence of our shared European values and must stand up for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“I am deeply concerned about the rise of homophobia both at home and abroad. The decision of the Hungarian Government to ban Pride events is the latest example of the full-frontal attack on LGBT human rights and fundamental freedoms. Banning Pride is a violation of the right to self-expression, peaceful assembly and freedom from discrimination. It is also stands in sharp contrast to our European values of human dignity, democracy and equality. Will the Government raise this issue at this weekend’s European Council meeting? Will it support infringement proceedings against the Hungarian Government for the violation of the EU treaties? Will it tell Viktor Orbán that this action is not compatible with membership of the European Union? This attack on human rights cannot be tolerated and the Irish Government has an obligation to call it out.”
“The Government needs to commit to building a Republic of equals that treats everybody equally and delivers equality for women in Ireland.”
“We are still waiting for that, particularly for the three-day waiting period to be removed and the decriminalisation of medical professionals who provide abortion. We would like to see progress in that area. A colleague mentioned the rise in misogyny, particularly among young men. There are real worries about the attitudes of younger men, the rise in misogyny online and toxic content. We need to address this, understand it better, understand how these men are targeted and how to tackle that. We also know the shocking figures concerning violence against women in this country. Reports to Women's Aid are at an all-time high, with one in four women experiencing sexual violence from a partner and one in five experiencing abuse by an intimate partner before the age of 25. Better supports and more refuge spaces are needed.”
“It is welcome that a Government framework is in place but more needs to be done. We know that there is delayed diagnosis internationally, taking up to eight years from when an individual first contacts a doctor experiencing symptoms to receiving a firm diagnosis. Better supports and services need to be in place. There are still issues concerning access to abortion. Some GP clinics and hospitals still do not offer full abortion services. We know that more than 1,000 women have travelled to England and Wales to access abortions since 2019. It is nearly two years since the Marie O'Shea report was published. The Oireachtas committee reviewed the report and called for its recommendations to be implemented in full.”
“At the outset, we need to acknowledge that we still live in a very unequal society. There is lots to be done to deliver true equality for women in Ireland. From Cabinet to boards, women are still underrepresented in positions of power. This needs to change. In particular, we need to address the inequality faced by women from minority and disadvantaged communities such as Traveller, disabled, migrant, black, lesbian, trans and older women and those from other disadvantaged backgrounds. I wish to mention health-related issues. There is still inadequate provision of research on women's health beyond maternity and reproductive health. We get emails to our office about frustration with the healthcare system and women's access to healthcare and, as mentioned earlier, in particular around endometriosis.”
“With these kinds of results there is a serious risk that we will not reach that target of eliminating new HIV infections by 2030. Great work is being done by some of the NGOs and some of the people working in sexual health, but the services and funding are not there. We need the new strategy and we need to protect sexual health because it has been neglected for far too long.”
“In her opening response the Minister of State mentioned PrEP, which could be a game-changer for HIV. The same is true for PEP and rapid testing. It can take 18 months for someone to be seen in a PrEP clinic in this country. In Dublin, over 1,000 people are waiting for an appointment at one of the PrEP clinics. It took a year and a half to replace the nurse specialist in the South Infirmary in Cork. At the same time, the UK has same-day walk-in clinics and screenings. We can talk about increased funding but the services are not there, particularly on PrEP. We have seen that 39% of new HIV infections were late diagnosis. We now know that 50% of the transmissions are among heterosexuals. Both these findings result in poor outcomes and the likelihood of ongoing HIV transmission.”
“Ten counties across the country have no STI clinics - ten counties with no services whatsoever. In the counties where there are services, some of them happen very rarely. In Kerry, for example, there is a clinic every fortnight. There are very poor services on the ground. The Minister of State mentioned the online services. We know from research that these are not available to many people who are excluded because of literacy, digital exclusion or language barriers. They are not the solution; we need real services on the ground for people.”
“It is welcome to hear that this strategy is to be launched but this is not the first time it has been promised. As the Minister of State knows, there was a review in 2023. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, promised a strategy in 2024 and the then the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, followed up by promising a strategy in Q1 of 2025. I welcome that progress has been made but it is urgently needed. As the Minister of State said, sexual health infections have increased by 31% and the incidence of gonorrhoea rose by 60%. Last month the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that Ireland had the highest rates of gonorrhoea in Europe and among the highest rates of syphilis. At the same time services in the ground are really thin, particularly outside Dublin.”
“There is currently no active sexual health strategy for Ireland. The previous strategy was launched a decade ago by Leo Varadkar when he was Minister for Health. We have long been promised a new strategy but it has not been delivered. For the third year we are lacking a comprehensive strategy or vision for sexual health. The sexual health services are thin on the ground and starved of resources. Will the Minister of State commit to prioritising sexual health? When will this long overdue strategy be published?”
“It has come to light, thanks to The Ditch , that an audit has taken place into the hip surgeries on children in three hospitals. This follows serious concerns from a whistleblower that needless surgeries were taking place. The report, published by The Ditch , shows that, in the leaked report, in Cappagh, 79% of the surgeries did not meet the required threshold, in Temple Street, it was 60%, and in Crumlin, it was 2%. Will the Taoiseach publish this report? Will he confirm the contents of the report? Will the Taoiseach engage with the families and what other actions will he take? The public, children, their parents and their families need to have confidence in the system. We need transparency and accountability and we need to ensure the highest medical standards are upheld.”
“In Spring Lane in Cork city, the Ombudsman published a damning report of abuses of the rights of the child with regard to the accommodation for Travellers, which need to be addressed. Finally, there are good recommendations regarding climate. We need climate-informed housing policy and homes that are fit for the future. I hope the Ministers will implement many of these recommendations.”
“The retrofits have also been mismanaged. At the current rate, it will take Cork City Council 200 years to retrofit all its houses. It is utter madness and it needs to change. It needs greater investment. A land price register is another recommendation. The Social Democrats put forward a Bill in 2021 to provide for a land price register and the Government voted it down. Will the Government reconsider this and follow the recommendations of the commission to introduce legislation in this area? There are also calls in the report for measures relating to child homelessness, which has increased by 300%, according to the Simon Communities, over the past ten years. There are also real commitments in the report surrounding Traveller accommodation. There are appalling conditions on many Traveller sites around the country.”
“As the report states, State support of housing must be thought of in a broader context than just providing housing the most vulnerable. It has the capacity to reshape the market. We need to think about it in that context. It can be a counterbalance to the private market. We need to look abroad at what they are doing in other countries. We could look at Vienna where 50% of people live in not-for-profit and affordable housing. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Housing systems in other countries work; we could have one too if the political will was there. Like others stated earlier, there are real issues with the current management of social and affordable housing. In my own city in Cork, there are currently 350 vacant council houses and thousands of people waiting for housing. It is a cause of real frustration.”
“I call on the Minister to embrace that call to be radical and to have a full reset of housing policy to do things differently. As I said, the current model is fundamentally broken and it is failing people in this country every day. We are aware of hardship through contacts with all of our offices and we all know how bad the situation is. We need to see it fundamentally changed. I want to discuss some of the recommendations. One recommendation my colleague mentioned was the 20% social and affordable target. I heard the Minister say he would consider it. I would like him to give this a bit more than consideration. I would like a commitment to that because increasing the provision of cost-rental and affordable housing is going to be key.”
“I too congratulate the Ministers on their appointments. I welcome this debate on the Housing Commission report. I read through the recommendations in the report and I welcome some of them. The overview at the start of the report, in particular, jumped out at me where the Commission states: Arising from its wide-ranging enquiry, the Housing Commission has identified over several decades, there has been a range of interventions to do with housing. However, these interventions have not resolved the failures that are fundamentally systemic. That is key. There is a fundamental problem with the model and it is systemic in nature. The other line that jumped out at me was, "Only a radical strategic reset of housing policy will work".”
“We need to get down to work and pass some of the legislation I mentioned at the beginning of my contribution, which would have a real and meaningful impact on people's lives, provide the rights-based approach that is so badly needed and, ultimately, provide general universal healthcare for everybody.”
“In referring this proposal to the commission the implication is that older people are purely receivers of care and do not have rights beyond the Department of Health. A commissioner on ageing and older people would have a much broader remit that would recognise the full capacity and potential of older people. I am speaking about the full spectrum of needs and rights in terms of health. I accept this debate is primarily concerned with health care and ageing but the focus should be wider. The Dáil should be more concerned with delivering a rights-based approach to ageing policy and services. This would include not just health but housing, transport, income, connectivity and education. Ultimately, I fear this rights-based approach to ageing policy and services will remain purely notional.”
“The situation in Ireland is particularly bad. In 2022 a European Commission study found that 20% of Irish people felt lonely most of the time compared with 13% of other Europeans. While loneliness is a problem for all age groups it particularly impacts on older people. Just this week the chief executive of ALONE called for a loneliness action plan. This is notably absent from the programme for Government despite previous commitments that were not delivered by the previous Government. It is disappointing that the programme for Government does not commit to reappointing a commissioner for ageing and older people. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, said the proposal would be considered by the commission on care for older people. I must say this response misses the point.”
“Contracting out public services is often thought to result in efficiencies but the argument does not stand up to scrutiny. This is because most of those supposed efficiencies have costs and they are largely borne by service users and workers. Related to this is the urgent need for robust safeguarding legislation. Shockingly, it is still the case that HSE social workers do not have the right to enter private nursing homes, which account for 80% of the nursing homes. Three years ago Safeguarding Ireland warned the Government that HSE safeguarding and protection teams were operating in a legal vacuum but nothing changed. This is inexcusable. A country with a history of institutionalisation and abuse should know better. Another issue that is often overlooked is that of loneliness. The WHO tells us it is a pressing health threat.”
“Staying at home with supports is associated with better health outcomes and it is what most people want. However, successive Governments have failed to provide for this right. On paper the State's policy is to keep people in their homes but in practice the State is funding people to go into nursing homes, 80% of which are in private hands. The overreliance on nursing home care does not serve the interests of most older people. Instead, it serves commercial interests in a sector that is increasingly financed by international investors, while smaller community-based nursing homes, which should be protected, are on the verge of extinction. The problem with this model of care was brought into sharp focus during the pandemic but the financialisation of elder care continues.”
“On the topic to hand, on longer lives, the census in 2022 revealed that our population increased by 8% in 2016, with the highest increase in the over 70s by 26%. Undoubtedly this is a success story first and foremost but it should also put policymakers on notice. After all, this trajectory will not change and it is only going to accelerate. According to the ESRI, the number of people aged over 70 is projected to increase by 94% between 2015 and 2030, and by 2051 the population of those aged over 80 could increase by 270%. More of the same is not going to cut it. We need to completely rethink the way in which we deliver services to older people to ensure they can live fuller lives and more independent lives. As I mentioned, the key to this is the statutory right to home care.”
“If we expect improved productivity from the health services we should expect improved productivity from Parliament also. The app is the minimum we can expect. It is 12 years since we had the first strategy on e-health. In 2023 Ireland was ranked one of the worst countries in the OECD for digital health. The majority of EU countries have e-health records. We are far behind our peers and we need to make progress. I asked for examples where we could have more gentle care. I went to the briefing earlier from CARED Ireland on eating disorders and the experiences of the families were harrowing. There was particularly powerful testimony from Paula Crotty. If the Minister has not done so already, I encourage her to meet with these families and engage with them. Some of the testimony was very moving and they need specialist care.”
“Instead of general statements I wonder whether parliamentary time would be better spent on questions and answers with the Minister, through which we could have real engagement on the issues faced by people. Better still, we could progress the backlog of legislation, including the mental health Bill and legislation on adult safeguarding. Safeguarding Ireland has been calling for legislation for ten years. There is also the issue of a statutory right to home care, vaping legislation, dental legislation, the Health Information Bill and amendments to the assisted human reproduction Act. I will be interested to hear the Minister's thoughts on how best we can use this parliamentary time together to improve health outcomes for people.”
“I congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their new roles. I will begin by flagging a general concern I have. This is the second week in a row we have had general statements on healthcare. Last week we spent two and a half hours on statements on mental health. As a new TD I found it a very frustrating experience. Not a single question posed during the session was addressed in the closing statement by the Minister of State. I asked whether the new Government would commit to providing 10% of the overall health budget to mental health as provided for in Sláintecare. We got no answer to the question. Perhaps we will get an answer to it today. When there were no answers to the questions, I was left wondering what was the point of the debate and why we spent time researching and preparing.”
“Will the Minister for Health act on this and amend the regulations as a matter of urgency so that children get the protections they need?”
“It is concerning that children are currently excluded from the draft regulations of home care support services. This is despite the fact that more than 650 children with complex needs are receiving these services. In the case of baby Luke, as highlighted in a report from the Ombudsman for Children today, multiple serious issues with home care services were documented. These include routine cover being cancelled at short notice and an overnight nurse falling asleep. These children deserve a right to be cared for at home. These families need the support. They also need reassurances that the services will be of high quality with independent oversight from HIQA. I cannot understand why children are currently being excluded from these regulations. The health committee, HIQA and the ombudsman have recommended that these be included.”
“Branding the houses as affordable increases the level of hopelessness among young people. They feel the houses are just more out of reach for them. I believe we should rename the Act the Unaffordable Housing Act because unaffordable housing is genuinely what it is delivering. We need a radical reset of housing policy. The answers to this crisis are not found in the failed policies of the past. We need the State to be more involved in the direct delivery of affordable homes, and we need the Government to start listening to first-time buyers, renters and those in homelessness instead of those with vested interests because, until it does, nothing is going to change.”
“The solution is not more beds in sheds. The key issue is really around affordability. Over the past five years, the Government has really failed to provide affordable housing. The few houses that were built under the Affordable Housing Act stretched the definition of affordability to breaking point. In my constituency, Cork South-Central, some of the houses cost over €400,000. On what planet is a house that costs over €400,000 affordable?”
“Its members turn up late. Fine Gael members seem not to have turned up at all. Despite the Taoiseach having said yesterday he wants a debate on housing policy, the Government does not engage in it. All we get are spin and bluster. We have set out in detail, in numerous documents, our solutions. I encourage the Minister to read them. We have detailed housing policies and he can have a read of them. We have also set out in detail, in this motion, some of the solutions. They include closing the loopholes that allow investor funds to avoid tax, increasing the stamp duty on bulk purchasing, accessing EU funding, providing early-stage finance to approved housing bodies and local authorities, and protecting renters by not removing rent pressure zones until there is an alternative in place. I believe these are the solutions.”
“Not only are people stuck in childhood bedrooms but there are parents, children and grandchildren living together not out of choice but out of necessity. There are people sleeping in doorways and tents. There are people existing in emergency accommodation. I say “existing” because it is hard to have a life when you are stuck in homelessness. There are older people being given notices to quit and they have nowhere to go. There are people waiting for over a decade for social housing in Cork city, and young people emigrating because they have lost hope of ever owning a home in this country. These are the people I see and meet and who need solutions, not spin from the Government. It is really frustrating that when we highlight these issues, we are told we do not have solutions. When we set out our solutions, the Government refuses to listen.”
“I find it really hard to listen to the Government's rhetoric on housing. The Minister comes in here and talks about the progress the Government has made but homelessness has hit an all-time high. How is that in any sense progress? Rents and house prices are soaring, and schemes such as the help-to-buy scheme are just driving up house prices. The Government is failing people in this country every single day, yet its members come into the Dáil and state they are doing more than ever before. It is clearly not working. Like my colleague, I wonder whether the Government members are meeting the same people I meet. Are they meeting the multigenerational families who are crammed into small houses?”
“The then-Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy McEntee, promised a first draft of the Bill by the end of 2016, but it took until 2021 for the heads of Bill to be published and another three years before it got to the House. It is not good enough. Although the existing Act is at odds with international human rights law, it remains on the Statute Book. Time and again, the language of human rights has been used and embraced by governments but the policies and the laws required simply are not. The new mental health Bill represents a real opportunity to change that and to provide a person-centred, human rights-compliant approach to mental healthcare. This is why the Bill must be prioritised once committees are back in place.”
“There are particular concerns in respect of some of the minority communities, such as the Traveller and LGBT communities, which need a particular focus and a tailored response. In the context of the law, while I welcome the fact that the mental health Bill has been restored to the Thirty-fourth Dáil, it should have gone through the legislative process long ago and be enacted by now. Looking at the timeline for this Bill, an expert group was appointed in 2012 to review the Act. It is now ten years since that expert group provided recommendations. It recommended 165 changes to the 2001 Act. It is a very long time from 2012 until now for that expert review.”
“The progress report for the national implementation and monitoring committee, the body responsible for driving and overseeing the implementation of Sharing the Vision, revealed just 50 of 100 targets are on track. This is a stark finding and cannot be ignored. It must be an impetus for change and we need to get these targets on track, get them implemented and get the policy delivered. The Minister of State will have our full support in trying to do that. I agree with Deputy O’Meara who spoke earlier about the importance of SafeTALK and ASIST. These are courses I did myself and I too have had to use those skills. They are vitally important. It is crucial we get those out to communities and train as many people as possible.”
“This was a target set under Sláintecare but Governments over the last number of years have failed to meet this commitment and the new programme for Government is silent on it. In the 2025 budget it represents 5.8% of the total, which is a mere 0.1% increase on 2024. Since 2020 the allocations have fluctuated between 5% and 6%. It is not good enough. Will the Minister reaffirm this Government’s commitment to reach 10%, as set out, and set a pathway to achieving that goal? This perpetual failure to reach the 10% target is not good enough in terms of funding. The implementation of the national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, is simply not happening quickly enough. I was looking at the report from the monitoring group from November 2024.”