Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am sure many Senators have been contacted by students or their parents and families about the SUSI grant and the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. Parents and students alike who were close to the threshold limit are being told they no longer qualify for the SUSI grant because they accepted the PUP. I raised this issue last year and asked that the Minister not allow it to happen. In the period since, the Minister has spoken about SUSI a number of times. There has even been a public consultation on SUSI reform. However, somehow he did not see fit to stop students, who have had no drastic change in circumstances, be pushed beyond the threshold for grants simply for accepting the pandemic unemployment payment issued to them by this Government, which they were entitled to take.I do not understand how or why their PUP cannot be disregarded for the purpose of assessing income, as per their other summer or Christmas earnings. I ask that the Minister come in and we have a conversation about it. I do not believe it is acceptable that students are being pushed out of SUSI grants this year.

I wish to briefly bring up the topic of eating disorders. HSE figures show that the number of referrals for eating disorders has increased 66% since March 2020. That is an enormous increase with which the service is in no way able to cope. The services were underfunded and unable to cope long before Covid-19, quite frankly.

I am particularly concerned about eating disorders in young people. In our health service, young people end up falling between cracks and into the wrong services. Indeed, as we saw recently, a teenage girl spent nine weeks in the paediatric unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. I will also point out that there are no specialist eating disorder beds in the midlands or the Louth-Meath mental health services.

We need to ensure that intensive early interventions are available throughout the country. An audit of the entire eating disorder system is needed. The provision of beds and inpatient services is not sufficient. An eating disorder is a deeply complex mental illness with a high mortality rate. The nature of social media, and many traditional media, means there is an idolisation of a particular type of body, which is often unhealthy. There is, therefore, also a responsibility on social media companies to play their part. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister into the House for a debate on eating disorders and funding of same.

I will take a moment to flag that 17 May is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, which celebrates LGBTQIA+ people globally and raises awareness to combat discrimination. All LGBTQIA+ people around the world deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and to be able to live free from discrimination, violence and persecution.

In Ireland, we pride ourselves on having progressive laws that protect LGBTQIA+ people. We are considered a beacon internationally. We lead by example but we must also look at how we can improve things here. In particular, we need equal rights for families. Internationally, we must be key players in education, fighting prejudice, discrimination and violence. Transgender rights are human rights; transphobia can get into the sea, and then some. I would like to take a moment to wish happy international day against homophobia, biphobia, interphobia and transphobia to my friends, family and fellow LGBTQIA+ parliamentarians.