Ms Anna Levin:

It tends to be forgotten in the discussion on energy efficiency and climate that the contribution of lighting to climate change depends on how the electricity is made and how much light one uses just as much as the technology one uses. Some people think that energy efficient technology means we can put lights everywhere but we may achieve greater savings if we make sure that the energy used comes from a renewable source and that we used less light. Therefore, we must guard against focusing too much on one measurement.

Senator O'Loughlin asked a question about unmet costs. I had a hip replacement so I had to access physiotherapy twice a week and this was during a time of Covid, which did not help. The only thing to do is to have the person who knows your body to help one recover and come to one's home. As this was during Covid, a home session cost €75. The Government, every time it replies to a Dáil question, loves to state how much thalidomide survivors receive. The bottom line is that we get €16 a day or if one has no arms and no legs the sum is €37 a day. What happens when one requires physiotherapy that costs €150 every week, which is a basic cost, and must pay for all of the other costs? That is the finer detail.

I am the spokesperson for the group and I know our members very well at this stage. We are very proud of our friendships because we are so unique. We can feed off each other in terms of what works and what does not work. In fact, we have a very big connection with international thalidomide survivors. What I find with the geographical spread, which we mentioned, is that some of our people are very out on the margin and do not think that it is an automatic and basic need to get preventative physiotherapy and preventative treatment to help maintain the level that they have now deteriorated to. People are not inclined to spend their money on that because they find it hard to accumulate money.

I will refer to another matter. The Irish State, in its dealings with us, mentions in Dáil answers, which are in the public domain and I am not saying anything that I should not, the money we get from Germany because we have a separate thing going on there. More recently, in 2013, the German Government did not feel the need or took a very narrow view of the survivors who live outside of Germany and the Irish beneficiaries of the German foundation. They brought in a law and said that if people get a payment from another jurisdiction or source, then they deduct the equal amount from our pension. We have had to take a separate issue to the German courts and that fight is ongoing. At the moment, and for many it is at least eight years, the German Government, under the auspices of the foundation, insists that we need to send a letter from the Department of Health to say that we get €16 or €37 a day and then the Germans deduct that amount from our payment. They view this money as a double payment - one from German and one from Ireland - but in fact it is not, which is why we have brought a case all the way to the supreme court in Germany because in Germany the supports are far better. The physio needs and alternative medicine needs are almost mandatory for thalidomide survivors, plus people can access them with very little bureaucracy. We found a complete difference here Ireland. We have had to fight that as well as conduct our ongoing campaign.