Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Recently, I met the Wives & Partners of the Defence Forces, WPDF, which was created to give a voice to the men and women of our Defence Forces. Their story is a harrowing one which should be deeply worrying to every Member of the House. Those I met provided me with a compilation of testimonies from wives of personnel in our Army, Naval Service and Air Corps. They are heart-rending. A common theme throughout the testimonies is the inability to make ends meet on a daily basis. One of the testimonies said:

We have no future. We will never own our own house, we will never be able to afford a holiday...to send our children to college. These used to be priorities for us but now all we want is to be able to put food on our kitchen table every night.

There are daily worries right throughout the testimonies about how they will feed their families because "our money is not good enough." Unable to pay electricity and utility bills, some are dependent on moneylenders. Some are worrying about the winter:

I really hope something comes out of this and we as a group can make some changes. It's needed. I don't know how I'm going to cope if it keeps on like this. The constant fear is scary.

Others rely on their parents to bail them out. As I have said, all are filled with anxiety. As one person said, "The Defence Forces has put my family on the breadline and have robbed me of my health and my sanity."Many of these are military families with a proud tradition of service in our Defence Forces and to the nation. They say they have genuine fears about their inability to provide. Every day I hear stories of military families on the bread-line with massive debts and loan sharks at the door. Their pride is ebbing and morale is at an all-time low.

I want to ask the Taoiseach a number of basic questions. Does he accept that morale is at an all-time low in our Defence Forces, that their families are struggling daily to make ends meet and that the State is not treating our Defence Forces personnel with respect and dignity? There are very serious recruitment and retention issues. In this modern era, is it not about time that Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, PDFORRA, and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, would have negotiating rights and access to the industrial relations machinery of the State, just as is the case with An Garda Síochána.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have immense respect for our Defence Forces and for the work they do daily throughout the country. I am particularly proud of the roles they played in the commemorations in 2016 for the centenary celebrations and that they will continue to play over the next ten years. All of us in the House are proud of the important role they play overseas, whether in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and around the world or the really important search-and-rescue role our Naval Service has played in the Mediterranean in recent times. All public servants have had their pay reduced in the past couple of years, starting when Deputy Micheál Martin's party was in office and continuing under mine. We are now in the process of pay restoration. Pay restoration for public servants, including members of the Defence Forces, began a number of years ago and, subject to the ratification of the Lansdowne Road continuation agreement, which was made only a few weeks ago, it will continue into next year. Salaries are increasing across the Defence Forces and will continue to do so should that deal be ratified. In addition, in recent years we have been reducing the universal social charge which is the other way of improving the take home pay, not just of people who serve in our Defence Forces but people across the economy who pay the universal social charge, USC.

Recruitment to the Defence Forces resumed quite some time ago. It had been stalled previously and has resumed for the Defence Forces. When we advertise for new recruits to the Defence Forces, the number of people applying very considerably exceeds the number of places available. That is very encouraging because it suggests there are lots of people who want to become members of our Defence Forces, notwithstanding the terms and conditions currently in place. I acknowledge that there are some very specialised areas in which there is a particular problem with recruitment but recruiting at entry levels has not been a problem in recent years. In terms of representation, I understand there is a process under way to give RACO and PDFORRA greater access to industrial relations machinery but no decision has been made on that yet.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not get any sense from the Taoiseach's reply that he gets it or that he understands the depth to which morale has plummeted in our Defence Forces. I asked the Taoiseach the very basic question if he accepts there are many families struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis and that morale is on the floor. He did not address that particular issue. We all talk about how proud we are and I am proud. These are people who get up very early in the morning on a constant basis on behalf of the nation and who serve with distinction overseas, as the Taoiseach has said. Us articulating that we are proud of that is meaningless if we do not have any sense of the hardship and misery that many families are going through in their daily lives. Something has to change beyond the norm. We talk about the Mediterranean and how great it was on "The Late Late Show" and so on but what happened? It took two years to negotiate the €15-a-day allowance. I am told by the spouses that the €13-a-week extra in the public service agreement of recent times has not been paid yet. The allowance for 24-hour duties when they come back from overseas, which is €20 a day, is also an issue. Much can be done.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. His time is up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It can only happen if there is a sense of the real crisis within the forces.

I asked the Taoiseach about representation. It would be an important step forward if members of the Defence Forces had negotiating rights, like everyone else has in the modern era. Will the Taoiseach clarify whether the Government is intent on providing for these rights?

On the bigger picture, I put it to the Taoiseach that an overarching commission is needed to examine the future role of the Defence Forces and provide a pathway to restore to them quality of life and dignity and pride in what they do not only in terms of pay and conditions, but also in respect of the overall environment and quality of life they experience as members of the Defence Forces.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I absolutely accept that very many families not just in the Defence Forces, but across the country, are finding it very hard to make ends meet. I refer in particular to families who have additional costs, whether they are mortgage, rent and child care costs or loans to be repaid. It is absolutely the case that very many families of members of the Defence Forces and well beyond are struggling to make ends meet. The question is what is the Government doing about it. First, wages are rising again and pay restoration is occurring in the public service. It has started already and will continue into next year at a faster pace than had been previously planned if the agreement we have reached with the trade unions is ratified, as I am confident it will be. We reduced personal taxation and the universal social charge last year and will continue to do so, hopefully with the support of the Fianna Fáil, in the next budget and the years ahead. We are also trying to reduce the cost of living for families, for example, by introducing the affordable child care scheme and much better child care subsidies for families who need child care. We introduced rent controls in areas where rents are high - the rent pressure zones - to contain the cost of rent. We reduced medical costs, for example, the prescription fee for elderly people, and provided free general practitioner care for all children under six years. The Defence Forces have a much better arrangement than that when it comes to free medical care but this is an important change for many families. There are also provisions funded out of my former Department, for example, the family income supplement which ensures that anyone who works more than 19 hours per week and has a family is not in poverty because he or she can apply for the family income supplement. Second, we announced only last week a 25% increase in the back to school clothing and footwear allowance which will benefit more than 250,000 children in low income families.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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What is the position regarding negotiating rights for members of the Defence Forces?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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No decision has been made on that.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I raise with the Taoiseach the latest debacle surrounding bin charges. Yesterday, the Cabinet agreed a scheme that will bring to an end the flat rate charge and introduce a system that will undoubtedly result in householders paying much more in waste collection charges. This move is a telling demonstration of the political gimmick that is new politics, which is nothing but the same old story.

The new model announced by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, allows private operators the scope to set exorbitant charges for waste collection. It will allow them to charge whatever they like for what is an essential service. Given that this change will not even come before the Dáil, we truly have arrived at destination privatisation. Many households will not be able to afford these charges. The charging regime takes no account of income or ability to pay. Families know they will face additional charges. The families to whom the Taoiseach referred who are struggling to make ends meet will discover in due course how much more they will have to pay. Citizens struggling with the cost of living crises in mortgages, rents, child care, water charges, the property tax and car insurance will be hit once again.

The new charging model will also impact on small businesses and the farming community, with the prospect of illegal dumping rising across the State. Nowhere within the new model has the Government provided meaningful alleviation measures for the most vulnerable, including those with medical conditions, large families and low income households. The token gesture of a €75 annual grant for those with lifelong or long-term medical incontinence is absolutely pathetic and does not even amount to €1.50 per week. Is the Taoiseach for real?

The Government is opening the gates for private operators to make massive profits without protecting citizens, consumers or families. It is doing this in the most cynical manner possible. It is ramming this charge through at the 11th hour of the Dáil session in the hope of minimising political opposition. When officials from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment met my colleague, Deputy Brian Stanley, yesterday they did not mention this scheme, yet it was announced 90 minutes later. I understand the same officials met the Government's friends in Fianna Fáil last week on the issue of waste. I wonder if they informed Fianna Fáil of this new scheme in advance. I notice this morning there has not been a peep on this topic from the soldiers of destiny.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Sinn Féin must not listen to "Today with Sean O'Rourke".

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Taoiseach wash his hands and walk away from this mess? What will he do for people who cannot afford these additional charges and have been left to the whim of private operators?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There is nothing being rushed through at the 11th hour and there is nothing here that should come as much of a surprise. This has been coming for more than a year when a decision was made to enter into an agreement voluntarily with the 67 waste collection providers to suspend charges for a period. What this is essentially about is the environment and the need to reduce waste and encourage recycling, composting and reuse. As we all know, the State is running out of landfill capacity and the amount of rubbish going to landfill continues to rise. The Minister had to invoke emergency measures last year because of the problems we face with landfill capacity. What we have to do is reduce waste and encourage recycling, composting and reuse. The best way to do this is not to have a system of flat rates were one pays the same amount regardless of how much one throws away. That system will end and the all-in flat rate charging for household waste will start to be phased out, not immediately but as customers' contracts expire or when new contracts are entered into.

The framework will give waste collectors flexibility to offer or introduce a range of incentivised pricing options that encourage householders to reduce or separate their waste, while choosing the service price offering that best suits their circumstances and allows them to manage their costs. There will be many different options, including combinations of standing charges, per lift and per kilogram charges, weight bands and weight allowances. Approximately half of households are already on these types of offerings, which means people in at least half the country should be familiar with this system because it has been operating in their areas for some time.

It is the case that some people will face a rise in bills. This will often be where private providers are providing a service below cost. As the Deputy knows, providing a service below cost is not sustainable. Even if responsibility for waste collection were returned to local authorities, they would not be able to provide a service below cost and, in fact, the increase would be potentially even higher in such circumstances given the associated costs.

This measure makes sense for all the obvious environmental reasons. If people pay a flat fee, they do not have any incentive to reduce the amount of rubbish they throw away, produce, recycle, compost or reuse. It is increasingly important that we put the environment first when it comes to these issues.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I should probably thank the Taoiseach for his open and shut commitment to market forces and unapologetic presentation of the privatised model. I am astonished by his absolute lack of empathy or understanding for many citizens who, having heard this news, are now panicked and fearful of the charges they will face. The Taoiseach seems to live in another place where inability to pay does not even come onto his radar. This new scheme is designed purely and simply to suit the operators. The option as to what type of scheme will be used falls to the operator rather than the household or consumer.

The Taoiseach openly stated he will do nothing to mitigate the costs for people who cannot afford to pay or to support low income households and households with large numbers of young children. He seems to be happy to wash his hands and walk away from that. I put it to him again that this is the wrong approach to take. I regard it as disgraceful that he would be so indifferent to the experiences of so many people and families.

Having set out from his point of view the strengths of this system, will the Taoiseach tell me and our citizens what the Government will do to support and protect low-income families and large families that are fearful of yet another bill?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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First, and as I have mentioned, roughly 50% of households in the State already pay for their waste collection by systems such as this, so I do not think that people should be panicked and fearful. I am sure that if people are panicked and fearful, Sinn Féin will not try to exploit that panic and fear.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The Government has done a good job of that itself. None of us needs to.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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What Sinn Féin will do will be the responsible thing and give people proper information-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will put them on to the Taoiseach's office.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----and not try to exploit their-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will send them up to Blanchardstown. It is only a stone's throw from Cabra.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputies, the Taoiseach has been asked a question. Can we let him answer?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am just obliging him. I will direct people to Blanchardstown.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Sinn Féin is good at throwing stones all right.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can we let him answer, please?

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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There was a time when one would be worried about something else being thrown by Sinn Féin.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As I said, I am confident that Sinn Féin and no other politicians in the House will try to exploit panic or fear. They will of course do the right thing and give people accurate information, reassure them and explain to them why this system is being introduced nationwide. It already applies in roughly half the country.

In terms of mitigation, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, has announced already that there will be an annual support of €75 paid to people with lifetime or long-term medical conditions that cause them to have to produce additional waste, particularly when it comes to incontinence sheets and pads and so on. He has already announced that that has been put in place.

There is also going to be an additional fund for local authorities to crack down on illegal dumping, which is something that causes enormous and understandable concern for many different communities. Separate to that, there is going to be an education and information campaign and officers throughout the country to explain to people-----

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Some people will-----

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----and assist them in doing what they need to do to reduce their bills, which are those obvious things to reduce the amount of waste that people produce, such as recycling as much as they can and reusing compost. In addition to that, there is going to be a requirement that all waste collectors introduce organic brown bins to all communities nationwide with a population of more than 500 people, thus allowing more and more households to divert waste away from landfill and into compost.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Is í seo an chéad deis a bhí agam comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Taoiseach. I wish the Taoiseach well in his work.

We are entering pre-budget mode and we know that Departments and Ministers are examining figures. We have had a number of pre-budget submissions and attended pre-budget presentations. The national economic dialogue is on today. Listening to the various figures being bandied about, I was struck by a headline about the Government being in a "budgetary straitjacket". There will be many justifiable demands on whatever is available and decisions will have to be made. I hope those decisions will be to make the greatest difference possible, especially as regards inequality in society.

One group of people who experience inequality in a more acute way than anyone else are people with disabilities. I acknowledge what the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, did recently to get people with disabilities into employment via the Making Work Pay for People with Disabilities report, but many of its recommendations are still to be implemented. People with disabilities tell us that they and us are a long way from the kind of society in which they would like to live. The facts speak for themselves. A February survey of income and living conditions showed some improvement in overall general poverty rates, but they are worsening for people with disabilities. Such people are at almost twice the risk of living in poverty as the general population. Half of all people with disabilities have extra costs, which have been estimated at €207 per week for some. They are also facing housing problems, with fewer wheelchair accessible houses being built. Households headed by people with disabilities are twice as likely to experience unemployment as other households. In terms of consistent poverty levels, people with disabilities suffer more than those without disabilities. We know of poorer education outcomes for people with disabilities. Many people with disabilities are dependent on social welfare as their only source of income. None of this is to mention the various cuts they have suffered in recent budgets. It is an unequal world for people with disabilities.

Instead of giving a little to many that might not make an appreciable difference in their lives, there is an opportunity in budget 2018 to make a real difference in the lives of those with disabilities and a concerted effort to address the poverty and exclusion experienced by many such people and their families.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Gabhaim buíochas freisin leis an Teachta as an cheist. I thank her very much for acknowledging that the recent statistics from 2015 do show that consistent poverty is down and that income inequality is narrowing, albeit still much worse than where we were before the crisis. It is going in the right direction. I note that the Deputy acknowledged it because I think that people often do not acknowledge that.

The Deputy is absolutely right to say that people with disabilities suffer enormous disadvantage and enormous inequalities in our society, and we have very much more to do to improve living conditions and opportunities for them. In the previous budget, the budget for 2017, there was a considerable increase in funding for disability services. If I remember off the top of my head, I think it was in the region of €60 million. I am sure that we will find room for a further increase in funding for disability services for next year, not least in the area of respite, which I think is very important in giving people a break, and carers in particular. We also had in the social welfare package from March the first increase in weekly payments paid to people with disabilities and their carers in eight or nine years. I am not sure if that is going to be possible again next year, but I hope that it will be.

As the Deputy mentioned, under our Making Work Pay for People with Disabilities report, a number of measures were introduced to assist people with disabilities to re-enter the workforce or enter the workforce. For example, as Minister for Social Protection, I extended the free travel pass for five years to anyone who was on disability allowance and took up work. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is working on changes to the medical card thresholds to ensure people on disability allowance and similar payments, if they take up work, do not lose their medical cards. That is an enormous fear people with disabilities have, that if they earn a bit more money, it will be wiped out by the fact they will lose their medical cards. We would hope to have that legislation through this year, which will encourage more people to take up work if they can.

We have also set the target in Departments and public agencies to provide 6% of all jobs to people with disabilities because people who have disabilities, particularly those with severe disabilities like blindness, find it very hard to get through interview processes. One thing that we discussed at Cabinet just this week and agreed to fast-track was a dedicated entry stream for people with disabilities into employment in Departments and Government agencies in order that they could increase their opportunities to enter employment.

In addition to that, my previous Department, the Department of Social Protection, is going to run an information campaign in the coming months informing people with disabilities of the opportunities and entitlements now available to them and the fact they can take a trial of work knowing that their disability allowance will be restored if the trial of work does not work out. Many people with disabilities fear that if they take up employment and it does not work out, they will have a difficulty getting back on welfare. We are going to give them an assurance that that is not the case.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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We are discussing some 600,000 people, approximately 13% of the population. Yesterday, there was a meeting in the audio-visual room on disability being one of the sustainable development goals. A call was made for our aid to be disability inclusive.

There is a glaring omission, that is, Ireland has still not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We are the only country in the EU that has not signed. There was a roadmap to ratification, but that has turned into a very long road. Ratification would be an indication of how important this issue is to the Government. Even a slight tweaking of corporation tax would provide all the resources necessary in order that people with disabilities could participate and contribute fully and equally in society. That also means protecting the services that allow for independent living. Will we see ratification by 3 December, which is the international day of persons with disabilities?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I should add to the actions that I mentioned earlier the fact that children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance are now automatically entitled to a medical card. Ten thousand children who did not receive a medical card previously now have it as an automatic right. I pay tribute to the work of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, in this regard. Thirty thousand young people with disabilities under the age of 16 years in receipt of domiciliary care allowance, DCA, are no longer subject to any review between receiving DCA and reaching the age of 16. That is some real progress with regard to the supports the State offers people with disabilities.

Regarding the convention, I share the Deputy's frustration that it is taking so long to ratify it. We have a different approach than other countries. That convention, for example, has been ratified by Romania and Italy. I do not think anyone would argue that people with disabilities are less disadvantaged in Romania or Italy than they are in Ireland.

The approach other countries follow, however, is to ratify first and implement later whereas we like to implement all the legal provisions first and then ratify, which is a much more meaningful approach. We are considering making an exception on this occasion for this particular convention because it is taking so long to ratify it. We will have a meeting quite soon, which will involve the key Ministers and the Attorney General, to see if we can adopt a different approach because we absolutely want to have the convention ratified by 3 December, as the Deputy has said.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I wish to raise the issue of Lyme disease and to highlight an example of where we have really failed in Ireland - the case of Anthony Morris in County Kerry. The Rural Independent Group met Mr. Morris last week, as well as Dr. Joseph G. Jemsek, who is an infectious disease specialist in America and who has worked with Mr. Morris in trying to create awareness around this issue.

As the Taoiseach knows, Lyme disease is spread through the bite of a black-legged tick which is infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is a horrible, debilitating disease which, if left undiagnosed and untreated, can snowball out of control. We are very much lacking in six specific areas in Ireland. The first is a lack of proper recognition. The second is a belief that people cannot get Lyme disease here. The third is the Irish blood test. The blood test available here is called the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA. It tests the blood for antibodies created by the immune system to fight the bacteria which causes Lyme disease. The problem is that, in many cases, the disease affects the immune system in a way which does not cause antibodies to be made. If a person reacts negatively to the ELISA test it does not mean that he or she does not have Lyme disease. It means he or she has no antibodies to fight it. There are varying percentages of accuracy with the ELISA test, all of which are low. Ironically, those worst affected by Lyme disease will most likely have no antibodies to fight it, hence they become so unwell. These people will test negatively on the ELISA test.

The fourth area in which we are lacking is that the number of reported cases per year is vastly lower than the reality. This is because the person must first test positive on the ELISA test and then his or her doctor must report it. Therefore there is a huge gap between reported cases and the actual number. The fifth area in which we are lacking is that those with Lyme disease fall through the cracks. Many are not well enough to be students or to continue working. Lyme disease is not properly recognised, therefore they are not entitled to any help from the State or even a medical card. They fall through the cracks.

The sixth and final area is the most important. There is a lack of training and knowledge among medical professionals. I will give the Taoiseach some examples of this which relate to the case of Anthony Morris from Kerry. He has had chronic Lyme disease for the last ten years. He has been a shadow of his former self. He was once a very active man and a tough former Kerry football captain. He is now weak, in constant pain and has neurological symptoms. For the last ten years, his partner has been pulling him out of bed and helping him to walk. He is in constant pain and bone-tired with fatigue. Mr. Morris has not had a proper night's sleep in ten years. Being sick for so long is tough but what compounds the misery is years of mixed diagnoses, going from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist, having test after test, being told he has ME, or that it is psychological or that he is perhaps depressed and that it is all in his head. He has been told to get more air, to get more exercise and to take antidepressants and has been told that will sort him out. One infectious disease specialist said that he could not be that sick and that he should shake himself off and get back to work.

For years Mr. Morris tried to convince the UK and Irish medical professions that he needed to be tested for Lyme disease and that the UK and Irish tests might not give accurate results. Mr. Morris paid to have his blood tested privately by a specialist laboratory in Germany. Guess what? That German laboratory proved that he had chronic Lyme disease.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is quite right to say that people can get Lyme disease in Ireland. Indeed people can get tick bites in our national parks and contract Lyme disease as a result. There is now a Lyme disease awareness week. That started in 2013 and is led by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC. That is designed to draw public and media attention to Lyme disease, how to prevent infection, how to recognise it and how to be treated. The most recent Lyme disease awareness week happened in May.

Chronic Lyme disease, as opposed to Lyme disease, is a controversial diagnosis. There is a lot of dispute among the medical profession in respect of it. Lyme disease is diagnosed by medical history and physical examination and the infection is confirmed by blood tests which look for antibodies produced in an infected person's body in response to an infection. The testing involves a two-stage process which uses ELISA as an initial screening step. Screening enzyme immunoassays, EIAs, can give false positive reactions in the presence of other viral infections, so the second stage involves an immunoblot test, the western blot, which greatly increases specificity. Using this two-stage approach we are given a greater degree of certainty about the diagnosis of Lyme disease.

All clinical laboratories in Ireland must undergo continuous quality assurance to ensure that the quality of the diagnostics they provide is maintained at the highest international level. Some laboratories in Germany, the United States and elsewhere use other types of tests. These tests are not currently recommended by international groups, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, in the United States, on the basis that they are not sufficiently specific for Lyme disease and can give rise to over-diagnosis and false diagnosis. As the Deputy knows, Lyme disease can be treated very successfully using common antibiotics.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Taoiseach very much. If the Irish blood test is accurate and the Irish medical system stand behind it 100%, is it okay for people who have tested positive on the German test to give blood to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service? That is an interesting question for the Minister for Health to think about. In the United States, the CDC, from which we get our guidance and which focuses on disease prevention and control, environmental health, health promotion and health education, grossly underestimated the original figures of people affected by Lyme disease. They now diagnose a minimum of 300,000 people with Lyme disease year on year. It is now so bad that these figures are expected to reach 1 million this year. Lyme disease is almost twice as common as breast cancer and six times more common than HIV and AIDS. Are we going to go down the same road of not acknowledging the severity and gravity of Lyme disease and the problem here in Ireland? What if the CDC is wrong and the German test is accurate?

Why has the National Parks and Wildlife Service not erected signage at all entrances to the national parks? Surely it has a duty of care to protect the member of the public who use them. Nearly all of our park rangers in one particular area, which I will not name, have Lyme disease at present. Nationally, up to 50% have contracted the disease. That is a shocking figure.

Finally, it is only right and proper to thank all the politicians who met, at the gates of Leinster House, sufferers of Lyme disease who came here over recent months. We met teenagers, 16 and 17 year olds, and their parents. They are at home in bed, riddled with pain. They are not able to go to school or to college. It is very wrong and I call on the Minister for Health and the Government to acknowledge Lyme disease and the enormity of what the future holds if we do not create awareness.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that the Government is advised by the Chief Medical Officer on issues such as this because none of us are medical experts. As even those of us who have degrees in medicine are not experts in all of these fields, we rely on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer when it comes to issues such as this. We absolutely acknowledge Lyme disease. That is why there was a Lyme disease awareness week only last month. It is important to say, however, that chronic Lyme disease is a controversial diagnosis. The test used by the laboratory in Germany is not widely recognised internationally and may give rise to some very sick people, who need a lot of help and medical intervention, receiving a false diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease. We have seen similar issues arise with people who are very sick but attribute the cause of their illness to the HPV vaccine, or with people who have autism who may attribute the cause of their real illness to a cause that has not been established such as, for example, the MMR vaccine. This is an area where we must be guided by the best scientific and medical advice.