Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I extend a warm welcome to the ambassador of Lithuania not only on my own behalf but also on behalf of my colleagues in Sinn Féin.

I want to start with an issue concerning University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I understand the Taoiseach is to visit it tomorrow. I very much welcome that he is going to take the time to visit a hospital that continues to be in crisis. Another 72 patients were on trolleys again this morning. As per my request last week, I need to insist that the record of this House be corrected. The Minister for Health, during the debate on UHL on 1 February, stated the following:

There were eight patients on trolleys in UHL this morning. In the past week the average has been about six. The team has responded well and we need to acknowledge that.

It is patently untrue. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, there were over 70 patients on trolleys every day that week. The Minister is certainly entitled to his own opinions but not to his own facts, so what he stated needs to be corrected. In this regard, I wrote to him this morning. It is important that we place everything on the record correctly, particularly when the hospital continues to be in such crisis.

There are two important photocalls this morning - one at 11.30 a.m. for the Ireland for All protest march that will take place on Saturday, which I am looking forward to taking part in, and another at 11.45 a.m. for Together for Safety. As the Leader will know, we are still waiting for the safe access Bill that the Government has promised. Indeed, the Minister for Health promised that it would be before us before March of last year, yet we are still waiting a year later.

I want to highlight what will happen from next week. I am not a particularly religious person - I do not believe that comes as a surprise to anybody – but next week is the beginning of Lent. To echo some of my comrades in Together for Safety, Lent starts next week. With it, we are facing another six weeks of daily anti-abortion protests outside hospitals, GP surgeries, and family planning and health clinics around the country by the 40 Days for Life protesters. We were promised that last year would see the last Lent during which Irish people, including pregnant people and their families, would have to run this gauntlet daily, but here we are again in 2023. I am looking for a debate on this topic and a firm commitment from the Minister that he will follow through on his promises. I do believe he is engaged on this issue, to be fair to him, but we need to see this legislation in front of the House, certainly before the summer, and passed this year so we can finally put an end to these obnoxious protests invading women's privacy and dignity as they are attending hospital clinics. We all agree on that, but I ask the Leader and Cathaoirleach to up the ante with the Minister to determine when we can get the legislation in front of the Seanad so we can finally do what the Government has promised to do for the past six years.