Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, the boards of management, principals, teachers and all the parents who successfully returned the first cohort of children to school this morning. There was a very happy little girl in our house today who literally skipped in the door to school. I appeal to everybody to be mindful of what we have achieved in getting our children back to school and to make sure we all adhere to the rules, so those children who have returned today can stay in school and children who have yet to return can do so, and that we have no play dates or gatherings of people outside of what is permitted.

I raise an issue already raised by the leader of the Fianna Fáil group, namely, endometriosis awareness month in March. Senator Chambers very eloquently outlined the situation in this country and worldwide with endometriosis. It affects one in ten women which is a phenomenal figure. If we had any other condition affecting one in ten men or women, we would deal with it a lot better. Many women suffer in silence for years and their pain is fobbed off by medical professionals, and that is even when they go to seek help. Due to the stigma and silence around female reproductive health many women wait for years before they get any medical attention. We need to have awareness around what a normal period is. I raised this during the Second Stage debate on my free period products Bill a number of weeks ago. Menstrual education is of paramount importance in this country. We also have to invest in female reproductive health medicine which has been sorely lacking over a number of years.

I will touch on Seachtain na Gaeilge as raised my friends and colleagues, Senators Ó Donnghaile and Garvey. I commend Conradh na Gaeilge on its fantastic ard-fheis at the weekend. I also commend the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Jack Chambers, on moving so quickly on the Irish language Bill when he assumed office. It had been sitting there for a number of years and now we have significant progress on it. There is a serious issue in relation to the provision of second level Irish-medium education in this country. Only 6.7% of schools are Irish-medium secondary schools. I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate in the Chamber on Irish-medium second level education at some stage.