Ms Yara Alagha:

The Deputy asked about the strategy I was referring to. It was the HSE national intercultural health strategy. It is really good and well designed. It obliges active, meaningful service user involvement in the design, delivery and evaluation of services. It is a prescriptive list of guidelines, including basic information on different religions, including Islam, and various cultures and sets out guidelines on interaction with people of faith in the context of their different practices relating to hygiene, dietary requirements or whatever the case may be. As I mentioned, however, the extent to which these strategies are implemented remains unknown, and without the necessary disaggregated data, we will never know. It is important we get the provisions we ask for, including disaggregated data and an independent group that oversees the implementation of the strategy, on a statutory footing and equality-proofed.