Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I apologise that I had to leave the meeting to take oral questions with Ministers in the Dáil. I was here for some of the witnesses' statements and I read them prior to the meeting. I apologise if I repeat what others have said or if I ask the same questions. If I ask a question that has already been answered, the witnesses do not have to answer it again. I can watch the recording of the meeting.

I thank Ms Dennehy for sharing her personal experiences with LED lighting. It is an issue that the majority of people are not aware of. I discussed it with my party spokesperson on climate action. He was not aware of this issue. He had thought, as many of us do, that LED lighting was the way to go and that it was a climate-friendly action to replace lights with LED lighting. I suggest that we share this information, on the effect of LED lighting, with the Committee on Environment and Climate Action. It was said that it has an effect on wildlife and the ecosystem. It is important that we also share information on that. If there are any reports on that, I ask that the witnesses send them to us and we will share them with the committee. There is not sufficient knowledge on this issue. I am not sure how many are affected or how prevalent it is but it does not matter if it is a small or a large number. It needs to be taken into account when we look at our LED lighting system. Has it been considered by the National Disability Authority, NDA, universal design team? When it draws up universal designs, is it aware of LED lighting and is it factored in to what it is doing?

I thank Ms Cassidy and Ms Browne for sharing their stories. It is heartbreaking to hear that they still have to fight for supports. It is the same story we hear from every family where there is a disabled person. Individuals or families with a disabled child are still fighting for supports. There should be a system whereby everybody is told what they are entitled to. They should not have to look for it. They should not have to fight for it. If people are entitled to something, they should know they are entitled to it and be able to access it. I refer to the issue of being promised something. It was indicated that Brendan Corish - we are going way back - promised supports and they were never implemented and people are still fighting. It is dreadful.

Do the witnesses find that medical professionals are more knowledgeable of thalidomide? Obviously, they work with a number of medical personnel, but are all medical personnel aware of this? It was said that it is a small number and it, therefore, should not be difficult to ensure those who need to know, know. It was described how difficult it is to give blood. That is something very basic and it should be understood.

I have a couple of comments and questions. I understand if the witnesses have already covered them. They do not need to come back to me.