Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our colleague Senator Pauline O'Reilly and her colleagues in the Green Party for proposing this very important motion. It is great to have the opportunity to discuss it, coincidentally on World Menopause Day. We cannot discuss women's health enough because such discussions were sorely lacking for years. It was never discussed in these Houses or beyond it and that has stored up an awful lot of problems.

Senator O'Reilly rightly pointed out that funding has increased year-on-year since the start of this Government. That is something we in government can be very proud of, whether that is IVF, period products or contraception. This is another piece of the puzzle and it is very important that we are discussing it and that we have started the process. As Senator O'Reilly says, we need to look at what it is going to cost the State, which is already paying €6.3 million for HRT under the two statutory schemes that we have in place. As we know, that does not cover everybody. Senator O'Reilly and all of us across the House have been listening to women in recent years since this conversation has kicked off. They describe how due to gender inequality, the patriarchy and the gender pay gap they do not have the money to support themselves and their own good health as they age because women prioritise everything else and everyone else in their lives ahead of themselves. That is the position traditionally. Due to a lack of period products, the cost of contraception and the cost of the menopause, basically the whole cost of reproduction from the start to the very end falls on women's shoulders. It is not something we should stand over. As a rich society and one that is moving towards greater gender equality, it is something we need to look at.

There are cost implications. Everything has a cost but it would be a good investment in public health to have it because depression is often diagnosed and women are needlessly put on various treatments and HRT protects against diabetes, bone health and osteoporosis. The saddest statistic I have seen relating to the menopause is the peak in suicides among women during the menopause years. It is heartbreaking that women are not getting the support they need. If HRT can prevent that and prevent the absolute devastation that suicide leaves on families and communities, it can only be a good investment in our future. Marital breakdown has been touched on as well. We know that impacts negatively on families, children and communities so we need to make what will probably be a small investment into providing HRT as a standard free treatment for everybody. It would be a small investment in the overall health of our nation. The menopause impacts half the women of Ireland, if we are lucky enough to live that long. I know that not every woman reaches the age where she even enters the menopause but thankfully we are living longer and it is an investment in the individual health of those women and also the health of families and the entire community. It is a very worthwhile investment.

I have heard from women who have been prescribed HRT who have not been able to access it, or even when they have, they have not been able to access other supports that are very helpful like yoga, pilates, acupuncture, and various therapies that have been proven to be very helpful. It is something that we need to perhaps look at beyond that. In my own community in north County Dublin there has been a lot of community-funded yoga, pilates and fitness classes for women at a very low cost or free of charge and supported by local authorities. That is supporting a healthier community overall.

The funding for the HSE has not been what we were expecting or what we need for this year. It will be a difficult ask to find extra money to provide free HRT but it is something we need to put on the list. It may not be realistic that we will get it this year but it may be a conversation for next year. If money is found for other things in the health service, this should be at the top of the priority list. It would be very good to move towards a universal availability of HRT products.

I have loads more to say but I have run out of time. I hope that in the lifetime of this Government we will be able to see this as well as support for the other initiatives we have taken because they are all interlinked. They all add up. They have all been very warmly received by the women of Ireland. It is something that I constantly hear from women when I am out and about in my constituency. I hear back that they are delighted with the free IVF; that contraception has made a big impact; and that the public information campaign that we ran on menopause has really impacted people. This would be a very positive step. I commend Senator O'Reilly on bringing this motion here tonight. I hope our Fine Gael colleague might be able to have a word with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, about the money for it and we might be able to get the funding.