Seanad debates

Wednesday, 21 September 2022

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

10:30 am

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the reasonable pre-budget requests made by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland. For example, the society has called for €600,000 to be invested in its national care centre to fund the great work that is done to provide respite to people and people who visit on a daily basis.

I wish to point out that the physiotherapy that people with multiple sclerosis, MS, need is not like what one sees when somebody runs on to a GAA field with a bag of ice. I mean MS sufferers require physiotherapy on a weekly basis and usually for a lifetime. Therefore, I believe that the State should fund the vast majority of this type of support because it is needed.

We all know about the campaign that calls for the recruitment of an extra 100 neurological nurses. I think such recruitment should incrementally happen. While I acknowledge that this budget will not provide for the recruitment of 100 nurses, we should at least go a significant way to providing some of these much-needed nurses to care for people and support people in their homes. Such recruitment would be good because caring for and supporting people in their homes is a lot less expensive for taxpayers than long-term residential care.

Tomorrow is Culture Night and I am delighted that in-person cultural events will take place the length and breadth of this country after the last two years of Covid. I wish all of the participants the very best, particularly those taking part in County Clare. I hope that the weather stays dry and that Culture Night is very successful. The Houses of the Oireachtas will host events for Culture Night that will include a Ukrainian element that will act as a thank you from the Ukrainian community who now live in Ireland, done through the Oireachtas. It is wonderful that Ukrainian people are coming in and will play a full and central part in Culture Night in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

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