Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)

I wish to be associated with the Cathaoirleach’s remarks about Julie and her retirement. I thank her for everything. I think she is with us for another week or two but I wish her all the best in her retirement. She has always been very kind and courteous and looked after everybody so well. The food and everything has never been a letdown. Julie really is fantastic not only in the job she does but also in how she chats to everybody and embraces life. I wish her and her family the best in her retirement.

I received an email from a young girl recently who has very severe Crohn's disease. She spends a great deal of time in hospital because of her immune system and how weak she is, but she is thinking of her future. Eventually she will be able to have an operation to help with her illness but she is thinking about down the road, whether she would get married, her fertility and if she was to become pregnant. She was looking to see if she could have some of her eggs frozen. This is not covered by the Department of Health. You can have eggs frozen because of many illnesses but not Crohn's disease. This young girl is distraught and upset about how sick she is and thinking about her future. She is only 18. There needs to be some sort of flexibility for people who have a debilitating illness now. There is a chance that down the road in the coming years she will have a more balanced life and will not be as ill as she is now. She has not been at school for two years because she has had to spend so much time in hospital. The Department needs to be flexible in its approach and look at how it can support people like this young girl into the future because this means a lot to her. I would welcome any support the Leader can give me, such as writing to the Department, highlighting this issue and saying that he supports it.