Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 May 2025

Vol. 306 No. 1

Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

I have received notice from the following Senators that they propose to raise the following matters:

Senator Margaret Murphy O'Mahony - The need for the Minister for Transport to make a statement on the expansion of the criteria for eligibility for the disabled person's parking permit to cover designated parking spaces for individuals with hidden disabilities.

Senator Manus Boyle - The need for the Minister for Transport to make a statement on future funding allocations to the low-cost accident scheme and other capital road safety initiatives to address traffic and speed issues in Fahan, County Donegal.

Senator Sharon Keogan - The need for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to set out his vision on the role of nuclear power before the completion of the Celtic interconnector in 2026.

Senator Linda Nelson Murray - The need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on the provision of a women's sexual well-being clinic in County Meath.

The matters raised by the Senators are suitable for discussion and they will be taken now.

Disability Services

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

I welcome the Minister to the House.

Senator Margaret Murphy O'Mahony

I thank the Cathaoirelach for choosing my Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to reply to my matter. Councillor Patrick Donovan, a member of Cork County Council, does Trojan work in the field of disability and inclusivity. I want to publicly acknowledge his contribution to the disability sector. He really is a hands-on councillor in this regard. He has secured a commitment for a few car parking spaces for people with hidden disabilities, which is very important. Fair play to him.

As the Minister of State knows, hidden disabilities are often called invisible disabilities. They are disabilities not easily seen by the naked eye and are often impossible to see such as chronic fatigue, depression and autism. They are not visible but they can be very debilitating. It is very important to make life as easy as we can for anyone with hidden disabilities and providing priority car parking spaces is hugely important. The only thing is, these spaces, though very welcome, are provided on a non-statutory basis. They are akin to parent-and-toddler and the age-friendly spaces, where we depend on the goodwill of the public to adhere to the restrictions on that space. It is only when our pockets are hit or there is a threat of our pockets being hit that we really take notice. I am calling for a review of parking policy with regard to these type of spaces to make them statutory and to enhance what can be done with regard to people adhering to the restrictions on those spaces.

This Government is clearly committed to the whole sector of disability. It is very important that there is going to be cross-party connection and work on the delivery of disability services and measures that will help the disability sector. The Minister of State will agree that at the end of its tenure the Government wants to leave people with disabilities in a better place than when it started. Making these car parking spaces statutory so that people will adhere to them would be a great start.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Deputy Jerry Buttimer)

I thank the Senator for her contribution and for her ongoing advocacy for people with disabilities, including in her previous role of champion and advocate. Senator Rabbitte, who was the Minister of State in the Department, had done a lot of great work as well and the Department is reviewing this. In some way my answer to the Senator will be inadequate because she is right that the overarching approach needs to be revisited. We have a different view and understanding of disability. She is also correct in highlighting hidden disabilities.

If she is referring to Councillor Donovan in the Carrigaline electoral area, I know him well. He did work experience in my office and then he went wrong. We will come back to that. I thank him for the work he is doing.

I am taking the reply on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Canney who sends his apologies. He has responsibility for the disabled parking scheme. The scheme operates by reserving a proportion of public parking spaces for disabled parking permit holders. The permits are available to people living with mobility restriction, whether it is severe or permanent, whether they are drivers or passengers, as well as those who are registered as blind. The intention of the permit and the disabled parking scheme, more generally, is to provide access to parking bays of sufficient size close to important services such as post offices, banks, pharmacies and shops for people who would not necessarily gain access.

It is important to recognise that the permit is about making sure that people can park close enough to reach the designated area because of their restricted mobility. The Senator is correct that drivers and passengers with cognitive impairments, including non-visible conditions, do not qualify on those grounds alone. This is because the scheme is not aimed at people with disabilities in general. It is specifically for people with impaired mobility. This is the group most in need of good physical access to services and most directly disadvantaged by inaccessible parking spaces that are too far away from their destination or the standard parking space that is too small to safely exit from a vehicle with a wheelchair, walking aid or oxygen equipment.

As Minister of State, I am aware, as are the Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, that a number of local authorities and private parking operators have installed neurodiverse-friendly parking bays at various locations throughout the country. The Senator referenced Councillor Donovan who successfully gained a number of spaces. These are what are called courtesy spaces and have no basis on statute and are not subject to Garda and traffic warden enforcement. The Department of Transport has no involvement in the provision of such spaces and does not intend to capture them within the existing statutory scheme for the reasons I have outlined. However, the Department is undertaking a comprehensive three-part review of the disabled parking scheme, including a mapping of its present operation, a targeted stakeholder consultation and an analysis of its legislative basis.

I can confirm on behalf of Minister of State, Deputy Canney, that permit eligibility is among the matters being considered as part of this project, with a particular emphasis on the assessment of mobility impairment. The contribution Senator Murphy O'Mahony has made this morning should feed into that review because there are more and more people who need the spaces. It is no longer the linear ones we are familiar with. I support the Senator's wish to see that review and capturing the people she has spoken about. I thank her for raising the matter.

Senator Margaret Murphy O'Mahony

I thank the Minister of State for his acknowledgment of the importance of this issue and for his commitment to looking into it and working on it. I look forward to working with him on this. These spaces are slightly wider than the usual disability space. There is a lovely sunflower on the space so it is different from the bare cold look of the normal disability space. The words "invisible disability" are also written on the space. I thank the Minister of State for his commitment and I acknowledge again the work of Councillor Patrick Donovan on this issue.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I apologise to Senator Murphy O'Mahony for not having the physical reply for her. There was a breakdown in the transfer of the reply, so I apologise for that.

I am wholly supportive of what the Senator wants to achieve. She is right: it is about being creative and looking at how we can do things differently. I cannot speak for them, but I know from talking to Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and Minister, Deputy O’Brien, that we are very supportive of what we are all trying to achieve. The former Minister of State, Senator Rabbitte, was trying to do that in her brief, to be fair to her. I thank Senator O'Mahony again. She has always been one to champion and push and this is an example where we can support people, their families and their carers, who are facing challenges with a disability every day. It is about ensuring that the disabled parking scheme provides access for everybody who needs it. It is about ensuring they can avail of parking and they can have access to important services. We have to become a bit more creative in how we think. I will certainly bring the Senator's contribution back to Minister of State, Deputy Canney.

Road Safety

Senator Manus Boyle

I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I am asking the Minister to provide funding for the low-cost accident scheme or a capital funding scheme to address a serious speeding issue in the village of Fahan in County Donegal. Fahan is on the Inishowen Peninsula, which is a beautiful part of Donegal. It is a seaside town with a beautiful view over Lough Swilly Over the years there have been numerous accidents in the village of Fahan. Thankfully, none have been fatal. Due to the way the village is laid out, cars and lorries go fast through the village. We need to get more done by the authorities to improve the situation and make drivers aware they are coming into a town. More signage is needed. A pedestrian crossing needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency because pedestrians are walking along the side of the road and are crossing the road here, there and everywhere. There is also an issue with noise pollution for the residents. I ask the Minister of Transport to prioritise the village of Fahan for a plan to slow traffic down with traffic calming measures. This is a beautiful wee seaside town. It just needs a bit of help. They have great residents committees there and they want to enhance their town. It is to be hoped we could get something in place. I know this is an issue in more towns than just Fahan. There is speeding going through a lot of towns and it is something we need to have a look at.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I thank Senator Boyle for raising the matter. He has painted a wonderful picture of being in Fahan and I have been there in the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula. The Senator is right; it is a picturesque, beautiful spot. The point he makes regarding the low-cost accident scheme is an important one we need to embrace and I thank him for raising the matter.

As the Senator knows quite well, the improvement works scheme when it comes to local grants and regional roads is part of the Government 2025 regional roads programme. The Government is strongly committed to it in terms of protecting and enhancing the existing road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places throughout the country, in particular in Donegal. The Senator is right to highlight the issues of safety in Donegal and the depth and breadth of the county and its geographical scale. The regional roads programme facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities.

It is important to highlight that, in accordance with the Roads Act 1993, the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in this case Donegal County Council. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.

Ireland's regional and local road network spans more than 96,000 km and requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient, as the Senator has rightly outlined regarding Fahan. As such, this year €713 million was allocated to regional and local roads. Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport employs an array of grant types to target investment across the regional road network. Within the budget available, State grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to ensure that all local authorities are in receipt of funds to maintain their networks. The allocation of the three biggest Exchequer grant types for regional and local roads is based on the length of road within a local authority’s area, with additional funding based on contributing factors in specific areas. This year, more than €13 million has been allocated specifically under the safety improvement works grant programme to regional and local roads for 339 schemes in the State, while a further €12.3 million of the specific improvement grant programme was allocated to road improvement schemes related to road safety. This year, Donegal County Council has been allocated €649,500 for 14 schemes under the safety improvement works grant programme. According to the Department’s records, an application has not yet been received from Donegal County Council for funding safety improvement works in Fahan.

It is the case that Donegal County Council is legally responsible for ensuring its network is maintained and improved. The Department approach means that while central government is supplying significant funding, we are acknowledging that local authorities themselves are best placed to make determinations in their own areas for maximum delivery of results. Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works is a matter for each local authority and Donegal County Council is the first point here. There is flexibility within the State grant programme for councils to direct resources to address particular problems identified on their networks as they see fit.

I will have a word with Department officials regarding the matter Senator Boyle has raised because he is right. Like Senator Murphy O'Mahony's issue, it is about being creative and ensure there is flexibility in terms of low-cost accident scheme funding. It is important we support our road network being maintained and protected. At a time when we see people being killed on our roads, it is important we redouble our efforts in a variety of ways and one of these is road improvements, so I thank the Senator for raising the matter.

Senator Manus Boyle

I thank the Minister of State. It is one of the issues that keeps coming up all the time with people phoning from Fahan about the speeding issue, so we decided that we would raise it. It is on the peninsula and it is very close to Derry so there is a lot of traffic going and coming, especially on the weekends as there are a lot of holiday homes on the peninsula Anything we can do to help the situation would be greatly appreciated because the last thing we want to have is an accident. We are here to prevent accidents and to try to get them sorted before they happen.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I thank the Senator again for raising the matter. He is right. It is a piece of road where there is a lot of traffic going to Derry and on the weekends it is very busy. I reiterate and join him in his final comment by saying it is the duty of us all to uphold road safety and make sure the roads are safe. I assure him the Government is fully committed to the protection and renewal of the road network. I will bring Senator Boyle's contribution back to the Department and I ask him to consider talking to Donegal County Council about its responsibility for maintaining and improving its regional road network and it can prioritise Fahan. Regarding Exchequer funding, the Government is committed to renewing and protecting our road network under the national development plan. A total of €5.35 billion has been allocated until 2030. I hope we can work with Donegal County Council to ensure we can prioritise investment in our regional and local roads, in particular in the Fahan area. I think all of us combined will work together to ensure funding is provided for safety improvement works in the area Senator Boyle referred to and I will raise the matter with Minister, Deputy O’Brien, who conveys his apologies for not being here this morning. I also apologise for the non-availability of the script due to a breakdown.

Senator Manus Boyle

I have it.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

The Senator has it. The gremlins have been overcome.

Electricity Generation

Senator Sharon Keogan

The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is very welcome. I congratulate him on his elevation into this role.

I would like to ask the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications a simple question: where does nuclear power fit into Ireland's energy future? I ask this not in the abstract but with real urgency because the Celtic interconnector is due to come online in 2026. It is time we faced reality. Right now, under Irish law, Eirgrid is legally barred from using electricity generated by nuclear fission, yet in practice we import it anyway. In 2020, nearly 1% of our electricity came from British nuclear plants. What we have is a legal ban that does not stop nuclear energy; it just stops us from talking honestly about it.

We are standing on a tightrope. On one hand there are rising energy demands, not least from data centres that could consume up to 40% and maybe even 70% of our electricity within a decade. On the other, there is a plan to phase out fossil fuels without a reliable replacement. That is not a transition; that is a gamble. We need to ask what happens if the wind does not blow. What happens when the grid is under pressure? People working from home, families trying to stay warm in winter and small businesses already squeezed by costs are the ones who pay the price. In some cases, that price is more than financial; it is about well-being and even survival.

The word "nuclear" still makes some people nervous but this is not 1986. Technologies have changed, safe standards have changed and our climate challenge has changed. We need clean, reliable and consistent energy and nuclear can deliver that. France knows this. That is why more than 65% of its electricity comes from nuclear power. That is the power that we will be connecting to with the Celtic interconnector. Here is the contradiction: we ban nuclear generation while plugging ourselves into a system that runs on it elsewhere. That is not leadership; that is outsourcing our responsibility. If the Minister believes, as his predecessor said, that nuclear is part of our future, when will we stop pretending that it is not part of our present? Let us bring clarity to this conversation. Let us amend the legislation or at the very least open a serious national review on the role nuclear could play and should play. We owe it to ourselves and to the people of this country to plan for the future, not just posture for it.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Timmy Dooley)

I thank my friend and former colleague for the gracious introduction. It is the first time I have had an opportunity to be back in the Seanad since my election to the other House. I have fond memories of my ten years here. It was five years at the beginning and five more recently. I thank Senator again for that and I look forward to being back on many occasions in the future.

I also thank the Senator for raising this important issue. As she knows, the Government has an energy vision to fulfil the commitment to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to 80% by 2030. In Ireland, nuclear powered electricity generation plants remain prohibited and there are no plans to change this position. The Seanad has previously debated the option of nuclear energy as part of a broader debate on carbon policy and the practical challenges outlined relating to nuclear generation in Ireland are still relevant and still exist. The priority of the Government is on taking urgent action to make electricity generation in Ireland more sustainable. The climate action plan sets out a roadmap to halve Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The annual climate action plans to date have also recognised the need for a range of supporting measures to enable the transformation of the electricity sector. This will involve the development of a balanced portfolio of technologies to facilitate the energy transition complementing other measures, such as demand-side response, network development and interconnection to support a grid with increased levels of renewable electricity.

I am delighted that the Senator has highlighted the Celtic interconnector, which will return Ireland's most direct connectivity to the European electricity market. That will have benefits for consumers too. This means greater energy security and increased system resilience for Ireland, the importance of which has been highlighted by recent events on the Iberian Peninsula. Interconnection facilitates the system balancing necessary to incorporate variable renewables. It assists in managing our emissions targets and enables Ireland to take advantage of the energy mixes of our energy partners mitigating the domestic infrastructural investment burden. Interconnectors also create competitive market pressures designed to drive down costs to the consumer, all of which the Senator identified as constraints and concerns from an Irish perspective.

As set out in the national policy statement on electricity interconnection in 2023, Ireland is on course to increase its connectivity capacity fivefold this decade. The Greenlink interconnector commenced commercial operations in January, doubling existing connectivity capacity. The Celtic interconnector will be operational in 2027. A further connection to the UK, MaresConnect, is currently progressing its regulatory and permitting journey. Ireland’s energy vision is clear. We do not have uranium. We do have some of the best offshore wind resources in the world. Building on the renewables progress on land, the east coast offshore wind farms are at planning permission stage following the first offshore renewable electricity support scheme, ORESS. Looking beyond 2030, the Oireachtas approved its first offshore renewable designated maritime area plan, DMAP off the south coast, with a further ORESS planned this year. Building on that vital experience Ireland will be progressing a national offshore renewable electricity, ORE, DMAP intended to deliver a further 15 GW of offshore wind generation. We intend to make further announcements on that later in the summer.

We intend to take advantage of the energy domestically delivering decarbonised economic growth. The programme for Government also commits Ireland to positioning itself as a future electricity operator, with Irish wind facilitating the achievement by our energy partners of their climate and energy goals. Further electricity interconnection will be key to that. We are working directly with the UK, France and Belgium to explore further connection. We are also working through regional fora, such as the North Seas Energy Cooperation and the Offshore TSO Collaboration. We are also working with the European Commission to help shape the evolution of European energy policy and to make Ireland central to Europe's shared energy future.

Senator Sharon Keogan

I thank the Minister of State. I can clearly see that we are going to rely on offshore resources going forward for the electricity provision for this country. That is not good enough. It will not do. As he well knows, many of these are at early stages. We are now in 2025. Many of these projects are going to be held up by planning. We are not going to reach that 2030 target. I am not saying that the discussion revolving around this nuclear option will happen within five years either but it is a conversation that this Government should be willing to have. We are already taking in nuclear power through the back door. We are outsourcing that responsibility to the French. Let us be brave. That is what leadership is about. Sometimes we have to take very difficult decisions to be of the best advantage to the people that we represent. I am disappointed with this. Our energy vision is not good enough and nuclear energy is part of that. I wish to see our Government move towards that provision.

Deputy Timmy Dooley

The Senator firmly believes in this and is passionate about it. I do not question the sincerity but I have to tell her what the Government position is. She raised an important point about the planning permissions that are required even to get wind turbines in place. There is significant pushback against that on land.

The plan is that at sea, we believe there will be fewer objections because it is away from the shore. If it is difficult to get planning permissions for turbines I am sure the Senator will accept that trying to move the public towards nuclear reactors in Ireland is a whole new ball game. I suspect that whatever potential difficulties there might be on planning for either offshore or onshore wind turbines, I would not underestimate the complications and the push back from the public if we were to move on nuclear reactors onshore, even to get basic grid capacity. The Senator will be aware from her own general area and the North-South interconnector how communities are so averse to any infrastructure like that. I believe the best chance we have of energy security is to harness the huge potential that is offshore.

I do take the point, and Senator Keogan makes it very well, that the wind does not blow all the time. Work is ongoing when the wind is blowing in a significant way and the demand is not there. Through electrolysis it can be converted to hydrogen and onwards to ammonia, which is a stable source of securing the energy and storing it.

There is an overarching plan and maybe we will have a debate in the House again at some stage if Members want to do that where I can set out much more broadly the Government's vision for a safe and secure supply of electricity to meet our targets. I thank the Senator again for her interest.

Health Services

Senator Linda Nelson Murray

I am here today to talk about women's well-being and sexual health well-being. I am looking for a clinic for County Meath. County Meath has a growing population of about 240,000 people, and we can take it that 120,000 of them are women. Would the Minister of State believe that Meath has only half the number of GPs recommended by the World Health Organization for a county of its size? The county has the lowest number of GPs per head of population in the country at 54 doctors per 100,000 according to recent figures from the Irish College of General Practitioners. The WHO recommends 100 GPs per 100,000. If trying to get a GP appointment within two weeks, a person would be very lucky to find one. Consider a new patient who is trying to register in a GP practice in County Meath. There is very little chance. It is nearly impossible. Imagine being a young woman, concerned perhaps about family planning, about her sexual health, or maybe she has had a pregnancy scare and wants somewhere to go. She may do a little search on her phone and find there are no women's sexual health well-being clinics in County Meath. Not only that, it will take at least two weeks to be able to see a doctor. She might be a little bit embarrassed to go in to her regular GP.

I am speaking about a clinic that offers services in respect of sexual health, contraception, fertility, counselling, a woman's cycle and period problems, menopause, smear tests and urinary stress incontinence. There is a great website, sexualwellbeing.ie, that can guide a person in all aspects of sexual health and unplanned pregnancies but to go to a clinic, one must travel to Dublin or Drogheda. Surely towns such as Navan, Trim or Kells would be far more suitable locations for the people of Meath. We have a super hospital in Navan and a new primary care centre is opening. Perhaps they would be good locations.

It is worrying to think that in 2023, sexually transmitted infections in Ireland saw a notable increase with notification rates rising to 31% compared to 2022. I welcome that we have free at-home STI testing kits but, as we know, many young people are living at home well into their 30s with their parents and I doubt they would want a package like that arriving on their doorstep. They deserve privacy and discretion, which only a well-being clinic can offer. I also welcome that hopefully, we will launch the sexual health strategy soon after the previous one expired in 2020. It was a 2015 to 2020 strategy and although I am delighted we are launching a new one I wonder why it has taken so long at five years.

Given how freely we can all talk about the big "M" word that is menopause, with conversations around menopause happening in cafés, restaurants and even in the office, such is the normality of talking about this now because it is no longer taboo, imagine removing the stigma around sexual health by it being more accessible and a service that can be obtained every day. Yesterday I attended a talk in the AV room on urinary stress incontinence, which is also part of sexual health for women. I listened to three women speak on how this has impacted severely and hugely on their mental health. Some of them have had to travel abroad to access the right service for them. That, however is another day's Commencement matter, one that I would definitely bring in for another day's work given its huge importance to women.

Today I am calling for access to a well-being clinic in Meath. I love the saying that sometimes the bravest and most important thing one can do is show up. In fairness to the Minister of State, he has shown up here today to discuss this topic. I have shown up here today as a female Senator to discuss this. Now let the women of Meath be allowed to show up at a clinic that is open and ready for them, ready to help their health, their mental health, their sexual health, and to allow them to continue to thrive.

Deputy Timmy Dooley

I thank Senator Nelson Murray for a comprehensive and passionate expression of her concerns on behalf of her constituents. It is clear to me that they are in good hands with the Senator representing them. I will pass on the comments from the Minister for Health, who unfortunately cannot be here. The Minister sends her apologies and has asked me to communicate with the Senator in advance.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. Sexual health is a priority for the Department of Health and the Minister is very clear on that. The drafting process for the national sexual health strategy 2025 to 2035 commenced in 2023. The drafting committee included policy, service delivery, and clinical leads working within the Department and the HSE. It was decided that the strategy should incorporate priorities from the programme for Government of 2025, Securing Ireland's Future. These priorities included the commitment to supporting both sexual and women's health. The Senator's query is timely. The strategy and first action plan are at final stages of drafting and are being considered at ministerial level. The Department of Health hopes to be in a position to submit to Government for approval and launch it shortly.

One of the first priorities under the strategy, and the one that is already under way and resourced within the HSE, is to develop an integrated model of care for sexual health services. The model of care will examine the distribution, quality and the depth of sexual health services nationwide, assessing the regional delivery of care and identifying any gaps. It is at that point the issues in County Meath the Senator has outlined really well today would, I hope, be addressed in that context.

The new strategy in the model of care presents potential opportunities to broaden and deepen support for sexual health in line with the commitments included in our programme for Government. This work will be needed. As we all know, we have experienced rapid population growth with accompanying pressures on capacity. The Senator has eloquently identified those pressures with regard to getting access to a GP appointment. The Department of Health is currently scoping the potential to make more services accessible through GPs, family planning clinics, and community pharmacists where feasible, in addition to those provided through the STI and maternity services. Their work to enable better access to free contraception through pharmacies is progressing currently, along with treatments for common conditions.

In sexual health services, free HIV and STI testing and care is available through our network of 23 public STI clinics, six of which are located close to Meath in Dublin, Drogheda, Dundalk and Mullingar. The Senator has identified that but I believe we also need to move beyond just going to STI clinics. That has a certain stigma attached to it, no different to what the Senator has already said. The Senator has identified the complications in relation to the free at-home STI testing service but the service is accessible nationwide and is estimated to have increased testing capacity by around 33%, improving access and allowing STI clinics to prioritise those with symptoms. Service improvements are ongoing. In 2025, an additional €1.35 million has been allocated to free at-home STI testing, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP, and the free contraception scheme.

Under the women’s health action plans we have invested additional funding of over €180 million since 2020. New services developed under the action plans include: additional gynaecology, menopause and fertility clinics; post-natal hubs; the free contraception schemes; period dignity supports; and more. As outlined in the programme for Government, we will continue to focus on improving women’s health and LGBTIQ+ sexual and reproductive health. The Department of Health is also supporting the international commitments, such as the sustainable development goals, to which Ireland is a signatory.

Senator Linda Nelson Murray

I thank the Minister of State for his response but I knew all of the answers in the response. First, I do not know why the strategy took so long to come to the time where it is nearly launched. I welcome that is to be launched and I hope it identifies that there is a major gap in County Meath. As the Minister of State rightly said himself, maybe some people do not want to be popping into an STI clinic. A women's well-being clinic is definitely what we need. Perhaps people would have to get a bus.

That said, young people find it hard to even get a driving licence, never mind trying to get insured for a car, so they have to get a bus to Drogheda, Dundalk or Mullingar. It is not suitable. We need something in County Meath.

I look forward to reading the health strategy. I hope it identifies that Meath is crying out for a clinic like this. It remains to be seen. I appreciate the Minister of State coming to the House and answering this for me.

Deputy Timmy Dooley

Not at all. I take the Senator’s point. I wanted to set out in the first instance the position of the Government and the Department as to where they are at. Of course, the comments the Senator made and her presentation will be taken into consideration by the Department and the Government. She identified that there are practical issues on the ground in nearly every constituency. It takes time to get a doctor’s appointment. The Government, in a holistic way, is looking at the evolution of GP services and trying to ensure the gaps and pressures are eased into the future. In a holistic perspective in the roll-out in services to Meath, that growing population is factor, and it is being worked on by the Government.

I thank the Senator for raising these issues. They will be communicated back to the Minister and the Department. I hope that at some point in the future she will be back here reflecting, it is to be hoped, on a positive outcome. If it is not to her satisfaction, she will be more than well able to raise the issue again. We thank her for her presentation today.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.11 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 10.35 a.m.

Sitting suspended at 10.11 a.m. and resumed at 10.35 a.m.