Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for picking this very important topic. I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here and also wish him well. I commend his work on his brief so far. He has been very proactive and I commend him on the work he has done in terms of sexual health and sexual well-being. The sexual health strategy is so important.

Next Wednesday, 1 December, is World AIDS Day and a day of visibility. However, I am wearing the red ribbon here today as a reminder to all of us that it is not just one day. The issue of PrEP is one that has become a source of contention of Cork, and it should not be, because Cork is our second city. To be fair to the Minister of State and the Department of Health, the funding is available. PrEP has become a very important tool and asset in the fight against HIV in the world. I want to stress that the Cork Sexual Health Centre is doing Trojan work. The outreach, engagement, support and services are fantastic and are helping so many people.

A resolution is needed in Cork in the availability of PrEP. Funding is approved and has come from the Department and CHO 4, covering Cork and Kerry. The roadblock is that there has been no implementation of the funding. I appreciate that we have a pandemic and the resources and staff of the HSE are stretched. A standalone PrEP clinic is needed, however, in Cork, our second city. The positions that should be created must be advertised and filled.

A central part of the sexual health strategy is access to critical services and supports. I appeal that the new sexual health strategy will include deliverable measures to improve access to HIV and sexual health services, such as PrEP, in Cork city. There is a global commitment to meet the end of HIV by 2030. As part of that, the supports and services linked to PrEP are essential. Equally, I appeal that as the Minister of State meets with different organisations as part of the sexual health strategy, there would be engagement and inclusivity with all stakeholders, not just with people within the Department. The Minister of State has been very open and engaging with all of us who have met with him and the groups he has met around the country. I thank him for his work and I wish him well.

This is an important issue. It is not just about World AIDS Day. It is about the ongoing provision of services and supports in the fight against HIV.If we cast our minds back to where we were in the 1980s and compare it with today, we will see that we are in a much better place now. We can be in an even better place with the supports and services available. I thank the Minister of State for being here. I really appreciate it and thank him for his work.