Joe Conway (Independent)

A short week ago, I knew very little about this topic. By chance, my daughter and I met Senator Craughwell in the coffee dock, of all places. He told me he was bringing this Private Members' motion to the floor of the House today. Like any habitué of this House, I got to work on doing a little bit of self-enlightenment on the topic. I was absolutely amazed by the complexity of the condition and the harrowing effects it has on those who suffer. I want to applaud Senator Craughwell for bringing this to the attention not just of the House but of the nation. It is a first for me to see such a fantastic team tog out to support the Senator in the Gallery.These things are all greatly appreciated by us and I am sure by him and Rebecca. In our idealistic days of youth many of us in or outside this House would have read a book by John Kennedy called Profiles in Courage. We are seeing a great profile in courage here with Rebecca and Senator Craughwell.

We have been talking about the human papillomavirus and I am going to add to this as an educator. There is an old Irish expression which says an té nach gcuirfidh greim, cuirfidh sé dhá ghreim. It roughly translates as an ounce of preparatory work will reap a pound of reward. In education, particularly in the primary schools, it is then that the seeds of good health and health education are sown. We seem to have taken our foot off the gas in relation to health education, the importance of minding our bodies and looking after healthy lifestyles. This includes promoting healthy living environments, as well as aversions to alcohol and tobacco. These are fundamental messages to give children as they grow up. They can save a lot of trauma in the after times. Equally, we talked a lot about the HPV vaccination and what seems to be an fall-off in the uptake of it. This is very regrettable but it seems to be a trend all over the world. There is a growing scepticism to the whole idea of vaccinations. It is a very worrying trend that is probably generated by that awful thing called social media and influencers. It is a message to Government that, as educators and members of Government looking after the welfare of our people, we should be redoubling our efforts to zero in on the importance of vaccinations and health education.

Following on from what Senator Clonan was saying, mar fhocal scoir, now that the Minister of State is here, we are inundated this week because it is budget week. We are coming down with figures falling around our ears. The figures the Minister of State revealed to us relating to the modest amount of money Dublin Dental University Hospital is asking for seem quite paltry to me as a layman. I do not think it is beyond the wit of humanity to bridge the gap. The people down there are quite a team. They deserve to be equipped and financed to engage with problems such as this. My dear late mother used to say: never ever boil your cabbage twice when you are talking. I am not going to repeat the things that others have said. I applaud Senator Craughwell, thank Dublin Dental University Hospital and all our colleagues, Government, Independent and Opposition. There is a great turnout and a great show of solidarity for this case. Well done, Rebecca.