Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

My question relates to tuberculosis, otherwise known as TB. Last year, TB rates increased by 30%, which is really concerning. In 2024, TB cases in children under 12 months equalled the number recorded in the previous decade combined. This year, TB cases are expected to hit 300, yet this growing health crisis has been largely ignored by the Government. The sharp end of this crisis is experienced by some of the most marginalised people in our country. Professor Anne Marie McLaughlin has highlighted that a significant number of the cases are those living in overcrowded settings like direct provision and prisons, both of which the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, is responsible for. Increasing levels of homelessness have also contributed to the sharp rise in TB.

If action is taken, we can turn this around. After all, TB is 100% curable. The Government just needs to make resources available. Somebody I met said that if this were in cattle, the Government would not be found wanting. A TB strategy was published last year but there has been no real progress. Will the Government provide the necessary funding for the TB strategy and the national TB centre so this worrying trend can be reversed?

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