Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I again thank the Senator. I will bring her concerns and questions back to the Minister. The Government and the Minister share her commitment to providing women in Ireland with a healthcare system that is agile and responsive to the needs of the women of Ireland today. With regard to the women's healthcare questions the Senator has posed, I do not have the answers, as she will appreciate, but I will take them back to the Minister and ask the Department to engage with her. Women are 51% of our population. It is about all of us getting to a point in the conversation where this will no longer be necessary and we can have appropriate and timely care for women across all aspects of healthcare. I think the Senator and I have a similar view on that.

It is important that the framework of the women's health action plan protects our ambitions. It is about a commitment to listening, investing and delivering, and about consistently raising the issue of women's health in the Department of Health. It is about ensuring that the focus remains on the matters that the Senator has addressed this morning regarding women's health. It is a commitment backed up by €180 million in additional funding for targeted women's health supports in a five-year period. That has allowed for a good start to the genuine lasting change that is being delivered for women in our healthcare system.

I assure Senator Stephenson that the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, wants to ensure that the voices of women are not just heard but amplified and understood, and that their asks, including the asks made by Senator Stephenson this morning, are acted upon. It is about ensuring that we deliver a healthcare system that is better, more agile and supports women and girls to enjoy a healthier and equal life.