Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to move No. 18 before No. 1 on the Order Paper. I wish to bring the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021 to the House today. I have been working on this Bill for the past number of months with Eve McDowell, Una Ring and Catherine O'Sullivan from Stalking Ireland. Ms McDowell and Ms Ring bravely spoke about their personal experiences a number of months ago. Both were victims of what I consider to be an offence of stalking but it does not exist in Irish law. Both women came close to losing their lives and had horrific experiences. Ms McDowell is from Sligo and Ms Ring is from Cork. They both went through the justice system and got what they said was partial justice because of the inadequacy of the law in this area. This Bill seeks to introduce a separate stand-alone offence of stalking into Irish law, similar to that in existence in the UK. This is also a recommendation of the Law Reform Commission. I intend to bring that Bill before the House in the next term.

I again raise an issue I raised last week, that of the Alzheimer's day care centres that still remain closed throughout the country. I will focus in particular on the day centre in Castlebar, County Mayo. I have been working with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Mary Butler, who has been excellent in providing information and is doing her best to get these centres open. Unfortunately, it appears that the Alzheimer Society of Ireland has classified its locations or premises into three separate categories: those that will open in the next couple of weeks, those that will open in September or October and those with no date for reopening because the building or location is no longer fit for purpose. Unfortunately, Castlebar falls into that third category. We do not have a date for reopening and we do not know when we will get these vital day services back.

I understand that HSE officials are working on this. They have set up a group to look into this deficiency in services in County Mayo and they are trying to put something together to replace the loss of that vital service. I ask the Leader to use her good offices to reiterate to the HSE the importance of these services. It has been pointed out to me by people who use this service, and their families, that we spend a lot of time, understandably, talking about the reopening of pubs, coffee shops and hospitality. That is important as it impacts on so many people because of jobs, in addition to just living and socialising, but we do not spend a huge amount of time talking about the vital services people rely upon to keep their loved ones at home for as long as they possibly can. It is a priority for Government, and for the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to ensure that people can remain at home for as long as they want to and get the full supports to do so. This is a significant support that people rely upon to get a break and some respite for their families. For the service user, it improves their quality of life and standard of living and it is an important service. It is important that we acknowledge in this House that there is still a lengthy backlog for services in day care centres, and outpatient appointments, that are impacting on citizens' rights throughout the country.