When a new scheme is established, it must be done in a legally robust way. It is necessary to identify a reason these clinicians and not those clinicians are included. For example, the European Endometriosis League, EEL, and the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy, BSGE, criteria were picked. All of those clinics that were on those very defined lists automatically came onto the scheme. The clinics that the Deputy is referring to in Athens and Romania were not among those accredited by the EEL or BSGE. We s…

We have to keep it clinically safe as well and within the rules for the future.

If I were to come back and give the Deputy the specific reasons there might be a concern about one clinic, she might take a different view. Perhaps we might have that conversation privately, because I suspect she does not have the complete information that I have, which is not a fair balance. We might perhaps speak about that separately. She is correct that in the past there was a reluctance to refer patients abroad because clinicians did not know where they were referring them to. That is a cultural issue as much …

But the Deputy did. Let me just be careful. We have clinicians who have been taking their own time to go and see others through surgeries so that they might learn more. We have developed different education pathways and fellowships over the past number of months, particularly with clinicians who really wanted to do better in Ireland and access the opportunity to do better in Ireland. I want to support those clinicians who are taking those steps. On Friday, the Royal College of Physicians is hosting its first confer…

As the Deputy will be aware, primary care psychology provides a broad range of supports and treatment for mild to moderate mental health conditions. HIs concern is particularly the south Lee area, so I might get to that. Currently 2,445 children and young people under the age of 18 are waiting to access primary care psychology in the south Lee area, with 198 waiting for between 26 and 39 weeks, and 1,792 waiting longer than 52 weeks. That is an aberration and should not be the case. It simply has to be improved. Se…

I am sorry. I did not hear the Deputy.

There were 1,792 waiting longer than 52 weeks.

I agree with the Deputy. We increased the number of psychology doctoral training places to 111 at the end of 2025. This was up from 49 places in 2021. It is not just about the doctoral level. We want to create psychology assistant posts too, where we can make sure that people with a master's degree can work to support doctoral-level psychologists to increase workforce expansion. Not everybody has to have a doctorate. People can have a master's degree and still do important psychology work under the supervision of a…

I cannot answer that for the Deputy this morning but it is an important question. We might put this series of questions to Andy Phillips in respect of that region. I am sorry I cannot answer that question for the Deputy.

On a point of order, I have to call a quorum because this is of such significance. The Government has set aside time for statements on a whole range of different things. I call a quorum.

I think it is disrespectful to the Minister of State.

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on a number of important inquiry processes that have been established or are in the process of being established by the State in the health sector, and to update Members on progress to date. I also want to put these updates in the context of the human experiences that underpin them. We must always remember that long before any inquiry is agreed, before any terms of reference are drafted and before any report is delivered, there are lived experiences at the centre of th…

I nearly never do that because I often deviate from it.

As an initial step, the Government agreed that a facilitator will be appointed to consult stakeholders on scoping the content of potential terms of reference for an inquiry. This scoping exercise is designed to ensure that when a public inquiry is established, it has structures and parameters that reflect the needs of children and families of patients, are grounded in evidence and avoid duplication with existing statutory or clinical processes. In this regard, I have engaged with the Attorney General, considering t…

I have not.

Yes.

No, they start now.

I am sorry if the Deputy cannot follow it, but they start now.

I will address a number of issues and questions that Deputies raised. We take the same approach to both inquiries, with the appointment of a facilitator specifically to engage with the different groups. That request has been socialised and agreed with the different groups, which includes Dignity4Patients on the Michael Shine side and eight groups on the scoliosis side. There are different views among the groups and it is important to acknowledge and reflect on that, as there have been different views among scoliosi…

I thank Senator Ní Chuilinn for raising this important matter. Supporting those living with rare diseases is a priority for me as Minister and for the Oireachtas. It is important to remember that 300,000 people, as the Senator said, are living with a rare disease. While the disease may be rare, the fact of living with a rare disease is not. On foot of that, the national rare disease strategy was launched in August 2025. The Department of Health will now ensure its implementation and its vision to ensure that all pe…