Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators O’Loughlin and Ardagh for bringing forward this legislation, particularly Senator Ardagh for her work on this and for sharing her journey with us. It is the journey of so many but many suffer in silence or do not speak out. I think we can all agree that if this issue affected men, the money would have been allocated decades ago. Because there are many more women Members of the Seanad now, these issues are raised here more and more, and rightly so. Without the presence of the Senators mentioned and others working on this issue, many more families would continue to suffer when trying to access something which is provided, as Senator Ardagh pointed out, across the European Union. We are far behind in providing that service and, as the Senator pointed out, many people are being exploited by unscrupulous medical professionals charging for treatments. Many medical professionals do great work but some are providing services they know are not viable and extracting money from vulnerable people. Legislation is required to regularise the situation and make sure people get what they are entitled to and are protected while getting those services.