I thank the Minister of State for being here and a very happy belated birthday to her. I am raising this matter because I am really concerned about families and advocates when a loved one is experiencing severe and persistent psychosis and they seek help, particularly where that person has little or no insight into how unwell they are and they are refusing to engage with mental health services. Families experience an awful time when they can see someone they love becoming increasingly isolated, distressed and unabl…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I apologise for omitting the linkage between substance abuse and psychosis because that is very prevalent. What I was focusing on was that when people refuse help, they do not understand that they are as ill as they are. What is the clear pathway when they quite obviously need involuntary admission? I am so concerned that there are vulnerable people who are not getting the necessary help they need because they do not even realise they are sick enough. The families' li…

As a member of Fianna Fáil, I dispute that we used the tragedy to kick dead bodies. I actually take offence to that. I take huge offence to that. Anyone who watched-----

I did not cut over Senator Flynn when she was speaking.

I do not accept that.

Senator Flynn can talk to me outside but she should not shout across the Chamber at me. Anybody who watched TV3 last night will have been deeply concerned by what they saw. It is frightening to see lives lost because of reckless behaviour on our roads. Every time we use our roads, whether as motorists, cyclists, pedestrians or passengers, we are vulnerable. A moment of recklessness, distraction or impairment can have devastating and irreversible consequences. Today, I could not stand here without talking about nitr…

We are taking No. 1 on the Order Paper, the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the return and readmission of persons who do not or no longer fulfil the conditions for entry, presence or residence in the territory of either party; and No. 2, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the proposal for a Council decision on the signing of the agreement between the Eu…

Before I call the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, I welcome Jenny Kylie to the Seanad, who is a guest of Senator Martin Conway. She is very welcome. I call the Minister to speak. He has five minutes.

I welcome TY students from the Intermediate School in Killorglin, County Kerry, and their teachers Seán Houlihan and Anne O'Connor. They are guests of Deputy Michael Cahill.

I welcome the students from Sion Hill College in Blackrock. They are guests of Deputy Boyd Barrett.

I want to raise the growing problem of illegal dumping across the Dublin South-West area. Over the past couple of weeks in particular we have seen significant amounts of waste being dumped in our communities on housing estates. One pattern that is becoming increasingly noticeable is the use of skip bags. Only yesterday, a large skip bag filled with waste was dumped close to houses in Aylesbury. This morning I got a report of a skip bag that was burned on an estate in Tallaght-Belgard. Over the past couple of weeks,…

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I welcome the Bill. It is an important public health issue, particularly for our children and young people. It is about ensuring that our legislation keeps pace with a nicotine market that is changing rapidly. For many years, when we talked about nicotine addiction, we were talking about cigarettes. Today it is very different. We have vapes in a wide range of flavours and packaging and we have newer products such as nicotine pouches, which are small, discreet and …

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. Over the past few years and during my time as a councillor, there have been many changes to the roads in my area. It led me to ask the Minister to undertake a comprehensive review of the design manual for urban roads and streets, commonly known as DMURS. I appreciate the principles behind DMURS are good ones. We all want safer roads, lower vehicle speeds, where appropriate, better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and communities that are more accessible an…

I am a road user. My constituents who are road users do not feel it is being informed by them. There is frustration in the community. There is congestion, roads are being narrowed and buses passing each other are clipping their mirrors. The DMURS is not up to scratch. Money is being wasted unnecessarily. If disability groups are being included, I recommend that somebody who is blind is included as well. I say this because I did a walk around Tallaght with a blind man and the navigation of the roads was not up to sc…

I was taken by what Senator Ruane said. It is not often I have heard her compliment herself but everybody in Tallaght is so proud of her. She has achieved so much and she has huge respect in Tallaght. I also want to comment on what Senator Andrews said. I think people are bored of the whole "Government let you down" thing. A lot of my constituents, when they get that response from Sinn Féin, just come to me to get stuff sorted out. It is boring now at this point. I am going to buy the Senator a present. It is a boo…

I welcome the Minister. She has made herself very available to the Seanad during this term. I understand how busy she is but we really do appreciate the time she has given and how she has listened to us. I mean that very sincerely. I welcome this Bill. It is practical and sensible legislation. It reflects how healthcare is evolving in Ireland. It is about making access to care easier and reducing unnecessary delays. The Minister spoke about pharmacists and their qualifications, which just brought me back to my chil…

I wish to speak about Skyclarys. Yesterday’s decision was disappointing. Any issue around health should also not be politicised. It is not helpful to patients. Clear and honest information needs to be relayed to patients. I had to speak to one politician who said that strings could be pulled for patients. These already upset people are being used. I have no time for it. There is no space for that in this Chamber. Yesterday’s decision was disappointing. It is not an outright “No” to Skyclarys. Instead, the HSE has r…

I am calling on the Minister to outline the measures that are being taken to improve access to lymphoedema services across Ireland, with a particular focus on prevention, education, early intervention and support for breast cancer patients. Lymphoedema, for anyone who does not know, is a chronic and progressive condition that affects thousands of people throughout Ireland. I know many people who developed the condition following their treatment for breast cancer, yet awareness of the condition is very limited. Whil…

I would like to know how much money is actually allocated to lymphoedema services. With regard to compression garments, many people do not realise that there is a need to replace them. I know several people who have worn the same one for years without realising that replacements are available from the State. Lymphoedema is not spoken about enough. It is one of those conditions that does not get an awful lot of attention but it can have an awful impact on people. When I started in the Seanad, I did not have it but t…

I think that the Bill will be very successful in reducing the amount of people who vape. Single-use vapes are easily accessible for kids. They are something to grab. Kids are not going to get into the habit of charging vapes and so on but they can just grab a single-use vape and fling it away. Where we will see how it is working is when we take a walk in our local communities and we are not kicking vape packages out of our way. As a cancer survivor, I hate cigarettes and smoking. I never took up smoking because I w…