Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being unable to attend the debate last week.

We must take into consideration the age of some of the Magdalen women and the urgency attached to dealing with issues related to them. They must be dealt with as promptly as possible because the women concerned have been waiting a long time.

The Minister has said she is considering the issue of alternative therapies and I am anxious that she tease out the issue. We have highly qualified personnel working to provide reflexology, aromatherapy and acupuncture services, in particular, and the provision of these therapies needs to be considered.

For example, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, will next week launch Acupuncture Awareness Week, the theme of which will be the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment and management of stress. When we look at the ladies who were in the Magdalen laundries, we see examples of people who have been under stress for much of their lives. I would like to tease out that issue a little more with the Minister who has said she is considering the alternatives.

On liaison officers and advocacy services, there is no doubt that there were women who went into the institutions with mental health issues. There are also women who developed mental health issues because they had been institutionalised all of their lives. Therefore, there are women who lack the capacity to make decisions and need representation to ensure their best interests are served.

I ask the Minister to clarify the position for those women who are resident outside Ireland and the provisions related to their health care.

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