Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

On International Day of Parliamentarism we might consider paying our staff a fair wage. We would not be here at all without them and I wanted to remind everyone that issue is ongoing and has not been resolved. It is one that is causing great distress and costing us staff.

I wish to raise two items. One of my favourite topics, outside my beloved students, is the repeal review. I noted that in an exchange this week the Taoiseach said "fatal foetal abnormality works both ways as well". I am not entirely clear what was meant by that. I know and have spoken to people who have lost a much-loved and much-wanted child to a fatal foetal abnormality. They must travel to access the reproductive healthcare they should have been able to access here. I am of the belief, as I think many people are, that we voted to end all travel for reproductive healthcare - I will just say the word - for abortions. It has been said here before but I say again it is immensely frustrating the so-called repeal review now operating is very different to the one promised by the then Minister for Health in 2018. I am not sure that we have been given a good explanation as to why it has changed and why it is in a different format to the one that was explicitly clear. If it was not explicitly clear then a collective of us misunderstood the situation and that includes the people who were in the room when those negotiations and discussions were happening. It is very frustrating when we still have people travelling and still have leaders of the country talking about both sides to something. That is not going to solve the issue of people travelling. That we are so insistent this is just going to be about the operation of the legislation as opposed to the impact it is having is immensely frustrating. I really wish the Minister for Health could come in here and give an explanation for why this is happening or even an indication of how the review is going in and of itself. It seems to have died down quietly. I hope there are lots of things happening in the background.

The second issue I wish to speak briefly about is another I have spoken about before, that is, the issue of care. It is very close to my own heart, not that that is a reason you must have to bring something up. DEBRA Ireland, which is focused on epidermolysis bullosa, EB, a rare genetic condition, had its briefing this morning. For those who do not know, the condition makes your skin paper-thin. It is very fragile and difficult to manage. DEBRA Ireland has extremely modest requests. Sometimes you see pre-budget submissions coming in and there are millions upon millions but these are extremely modest. They include a ring-fenced fund of €786,000 for home nursing care for children and adults with severe EB, funding of €70,000 for an outreach nurse and mental health supports for children at a cost of €80,000. The group's main issue is the provision of staffing. We have talked about this here before. Charities are filling the gap where the Government is not doing it. I wanted to put that on record. These are extremely reasonable requests to support people who are very severely affected. I will be writing to the Minister for Health on this.

As I must leave, Senators might forgive me for scooting out before hearing the response.