Search the record

programmes to improve capacity at specialist cancer centres, and to support patients in avoiding Emergency Departments; — the Government has provided significant investment in cancer screening programmes in recent years, and funding of €2.9 million was provided in 2025, to support the recruitment of 22 WTE posts, 15 additional … total number of doctors enrolled in training programmes has increased by 7 per cent, with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science recently announcing a €28.5 million investment to support the delivery of more than 1,100 additional healthcare training places annually over

money. They are all people who can be allocated not just to people with cancer, but people who have cancer with other things. This is the new money and the new investment. The distribution of that, which is what the Deputy is asking for, will be apparent … this year 1 of a change. There will still be funding for the strategy itself, which of course is different. It is about research, programming and strategy. That is slightly different from the delivery of services, which we all understand, and that will be apparent. We have

blocks. Each block stands for a blockage between North and South. For example, there are two air ambulance services not working together. Two cancer services are disjointed. Two university systems are working in isolation from each other and it goes on and on. Even if you look … Derry in the north west; they went for it being built on the other side of the Bann. I had the honour of researching and authoring the first committee report on the all-Ireland economy in Leinster House since partition. I interviewed about 100 people from all communities

give an open chequebook to pharmaceutical firms that produce orphan drugs. While we are grateful that they take on the research and development of orphan drugs, by their nature they are exclusive to that condition, so they have a closed market and considerable leverage over states in terms … some of which have applications in inflammatory diseases beyond the rare diseases, such as inflammatory arthritis and in the area of treatment of cancers. That needs to be balanced. We also need to understand that it cannot always be that the State has to just open the coffers

aged men actually have the highest average suicide rate of any age group. Inequality, of course, and disadvantage also play a crucial part. Research from Scotland shows that men living in less well-off or more deprived areas are up to ten times more likely … have spoken about this, and I welcome her efforts. Certainly, however, a huge amount more needs to be done in this space. On cancer care, Deputy Cullinane referred to the difficulties in trying to understand how much extra funding is being allocated in respect of cancer care

most preventable causes of cancer after smoking. Every year in Ireland, 1,000 people are diagnosed with alcohol-related cancers. The less you drink, the lower your risk. Therefore, any suggested association between sport and alcohol sends the wrong message to children. This link must be broken. According … average four people die from drinking, and more people end up in hospital due to alcohol-related harm. The Government's own research estimates that alcohol costs our health service a staggering €1.5 billion per year. Therefore, I hope the Minister and the Government agree

also driving the surge in nicotine pouch use, another product being aggressively and cynically marketed to young people. Last August, the Irish Cancer Society reported that big tobacco took centre stage at several festivals and concerts across the country, heavily promoting highly addictive nicotine pouches at festivals like … most sinister and under-reported benefit for tobacco companies has been the opportunity to have a seat at the table again through funding research and the promotion of vapes as harm reduction products. I fear this argument is a Trojan horse, allowing the tobacco industry back into

evidence tells a different story. Disposable vapes have flooded the Irish market in recent years and youth vaping has risen alongside them. Research shows that experimenting with vapes often begins as soon as students enter secondary school. According to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other … flavours and packaging that resembles sweets or desserts make vapes look more like treats than tobacco products. Focus groups commissioned by the Irish Cancer Society and Irish Heart Foundation found that students found vapes more appealing than traditional cigarettes, with marketing similar to milkshakes or desserts. This Bill

There are too few primary care centres working in our communities. The scandal of people languishing on trolleys persists. Critical programmes, like the cancer strategy, have been starved of funding and regional disparities continue in the availability of acute care. Unfortunately, I heard nothing from the Ministers … greater supports for new innovation and Irish startups. This will be key to driving job creation, productivity and growth. Ireland's investment in research and development lags behind our European neighbours. It is essential that we catch up. Too much of Ireland’s investment in research and development

children who have a medical challenge in their lives, whether it relates to hip operations or any surgical procedure or whether it is cancer care. They must be given priority as regards how we care for them and be given the maximum support and the highest quality … time there is a need to be even more careful and to ensure all checks and balances are in place. The ethics and research committee had not approved the use of the springs. The ethics oversight process was in place at CHI Temple Street. It was important

months. I thank Dr. James Larkin, who is a senior postdoctoral fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RSCI, for his research and assistance in the preparation of the Bill. When this issue first arose, most people listening in on this debate would have thought there … whole area of health, North and South. We travelled north when I was Chair of the health committee. We looked at all-Ireland cancer facilities. People in County Donegal were availing of cancer treatments there. There are others. It makes sense that we try to work with

others have said, this is a very contested space. We have had research carried out by the IIEA that says one thing, research carried out by Professor Doyle that says another thing, and the ESRI saying something entirely different. We have solid, important work being carried … ways in which we can better develop cross-border health services. There are huge opportunities in the context of heart and stroke services, cancer services and so on, but those opportunities are not being developed in the way we or our constituents would like. There are barriers still

profiteer - his words - on oil prices and that budget coffers were being swelled. The Deputy is intelligent enough and has enough access to research to know this is flat out untrue. As the publicly available facts show, the Government is already spending dramatically more on measures to help … people and to threaten the jobs and livelihoods of many thousands of families. Nobody has the right to prevent people from getting to cancer treatment, to be visited by their carer or to distribute vital supplies. The House needs to face up to the fact that these actions

tobacco industry is also behind the emerging market for nicotine pouches, which are being cynically marketed at young people. Last August, the Irish Cancer Society highlighted that big tobacco was now front and centre at a string of festivals and concerts in Ireland heavily promoting its nicotine products … rechargeable My concern is with the use of the word "or" instead of "and". Both the Department and the Oireachtas Library and Research Service use "and" in their briefing documents. The Bill digest states that "a vape will only be considered reusable, and therefore legal to sell

case of John O'Meara and others against the Minister for Social Protection. John O'Meara lost his partner Michelle Batey to cancer and Covid-19 in 2021. They had three children together but since they were not married, John could not claim the widower's contributory pension … individual concerned promising that their money is forthcoming. There are two other men also involved in the scheme. My constituent has conducted extensive research and discovered that hundreds of people have been similarly affected by these three individuals and their scam. It appears they set up companies

also reduced. Although these are positive trends, we must continue to work to decrease these numbers and the risks to our young people. Research studies also show consistently that exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with an increased likelihood that children will start to drink or will drink … alcohol in Ireland. The settled scientific consensus is that alcohol consumption causes harms, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and seven types of cancer, and that alcohol advertising serves to increase consumption and therefore harm. Zero-alcohol products do not have the health risks associated with alcohol products

help to solve challenges in healthcare. We are seeing exciting strides in areas such as robotic surgery, the diagnosing of blood diseases and cancers and the analysing of medical images. Second, AI is being used to improve energy efficiency and predict energy demands and can, therefore, help … innovation hub for AI and as an Enterprise Ireland and IDA technology centre. It acts as the bridge between the worlds of applied research in AI and data analytics and their commercial deployment by businesses. I encourage all my colleagues across the House to look at the upskilling

understanding of the impact that alcohol is having on our society and on people. We know there are 1,000 alcohol-related cancers each year. We know that four people die every day in Ireland from alcohol-related harm. It is costing the health service a huge amount … because it wanted the level set at 1.2% instead of 0.5%. Honestly, it is laughable. The other excuse given to us related to research. I agree that the more research we have, the better but we already have a stack of international evidence and I can quote some