Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the Order of Business as outlined. I start by sympathising with the families of former councillors Jerry O'Dea and James Tobin, who very sadly passed away over the last two weeks. We, in Fianna Fáil, are bereft at the loss of two very fine public representatives. They were the epitome of good public service in society and in their communities in Limerick and in Waterford. I extend our condolences to their family and friends and to the wider community. Their loss will be greatly felt.

With all that is happening here and abroad over the last week, sometimes we have to refocus on issues that shock us to the core and raise them in the House. For me this week, the issue was the story about organ incineration and the realisation that the organs of 18 babies delivered at Cork University Maternity Hospital had been sent to Belgium in 2020 along with clinical waste, without the knowledge or consent of bereaved parents. We can only begin to imagine what those parents went through on hearing this and trying to comprehend the situation. The HSE's own standards state when organs are retained post mortem hospitals should support the family in one of two ways, either by facilitating the return of the organs to the family or arranging their sensitive disposal, by burial or cremation only, on behalf of the family. This clearly did not happen. The HSE was to provide a report in November 2021. To date, we have not seen it. We have to get that report and have it expedited.

I also raise the issue of inclusive transport. Access to public and personal transport to access work, education and social and recreational activities is important to every one of us but for people who are already isolated by their disability, it is twice as important. It is shocking that the then Government closed the motorised transport grant and mobility allowance schemes in 2013 and never replaced them. We must have a debate on this. I know the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, has put a group together to look at this. We also need flexibility around the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme to support people with disability and to provide access. The current scheme is far too narrow.

I have just come from a presentation in Buswells Hotel by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, which does incredible work on behalf of the 64,000 people with dementia and their families in Ireland. The organisation urgently needs funding to address rising needs. As it states, dementia cannot wait. I sat and listened to advocates like Mr. Kevin Quaid's wife, Helena, talk about the difference home support services would make. It would add so much quality to their lives and the lives of their families. They also spoke about that really important sense of valuing carers, including carers who come into the home. It is very important we look for support for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's request and send a very strong message to the Minister. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, is very supportive of this organisation but we also need to put pressure on the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe.