Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Today is World Book Day. It is also the 25th anniversary of World Book Day. The theme of this year's World Book Day is, You Are a Reader. It is about encouraging children to dress up in the clothes of their favourite character and to read a book. It is really important because of the whole educational aspect around it. Many bookshops have offers on today and reductions in the price of books, in particular children's books. It is important to get that message out.

March is endometriosis awareness month. Endometriosis is a debilitating illness that affects 167 million women worldwide. It is endometriosis awareness month worldwide. For one in every ten women, endometriosis can be very debilitating in that it is very painful. It is the cause of many people not being able to conceive. It sometimes takes up to seven and a half years to get a diagnosis, which is too long. It is important to highlight that this is endometriosis awareness month. If people feel they have symptoms they should seek an assessment and get checked. It is really important that we would seek to bring about a reduction in the seven and a half years' timeframe for a diagnosis.