Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Irish Family Planning Association, IFPA, which I was delighted to host this morning for a presentation on screening for cervical cancer in the audiovisual room of Leinster House. This awareness event was part of the Europe-wide Pearl of Wisdom campaign which aims to highlight the importance of women undertaking regular smear tests. The IFPA is running many events throughout Ireland to raise awareness.

Each year 300 women in Ireland are diagnosed with cervical cancer and as many as 90 lose their lives. We all have a responsibility as public representatives to promote this progressive public health measure among our wives, sisters, aunts, mothers, daughters and nieces and to encourage them to register and avail of this life-saving service. We have many bad-news stories about our health service and public health but this is good-news story. Let us play our part in promoting this effective public health measure. I encourage all women between the ages of 25 and 60 to avail of the free test. Over 4,500 registered practitioners are available to help bring down our cervical cancer rates. Again, I thank the IFPA.

I also wish to refer to the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, that he will increase the pay of some councillors by €1,000, but not those councillors serving on certain local authorities, including the four local authorities in Dublin. While it is good to see some increase in salary, however miserly, for councillors, given their working conditions and the stress that councillors are under since the reform of local government, it is unfair to leave out those councillors who represent large urban centres like Cork and Dublin.Equality needs to be built into the process. I plead with the Minister to increase the salary of these councillors in line with the other councillors across the country.