Results 41-60 of 1,051,568 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I apologise for my late entry. I assumed my matter was No. 4 but it is No. 1. I tabled this matter on the basis of a few experiences I have had in recent times. The first relates to a person who has serious health problems, who is not and will never be fit to work again. The person made an application for a disability allowance, which takes forever of course, as we all know. In the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I have a different topic. It is in the social protection area but it relates to obtaining payments. We can shoehorn it into what the Deputy has just said. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. In my time I have not had any such experience. I have been fortunate in that we have had an excellent relationship with the...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Apologies for being late, but I was speaking on the statements on mental health and it was an unfortunate clash. Regarding smoking cessation supports, over the last two years this committee has dealt a lot with vaping and smoking. We urge the Minister to accelerate the production of the legislation to deal with the flavours and disposable vapes which we called for at this committee over...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: We are getting mixed messages on this issue, at the very least, and also mixed objectives. The Minister said there is emerging evidence of harm to adults from vaping. I have not seen that evidence. It would be interesting to see it. However, such evidence is relative. Is it indicating that vaping is more dangerous than smoking to adult smokers?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: If vaping is less dangerous than smoking, we should be encouraging people to vape in an attempt to get off cigarettes. We have talked about the importance of ensuring nicotine chewing gum remains affordable because it is an important tool in giving up cigarettes. Why would the Minister for Finance interfere in what is, in essence, a public health matter? It sounds a bit like the Government...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Does the Minister see no role for vaping in smoking cessation? I have never previously heard this theory. Is that what he is saying?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is fine but why is the Minister discouraging vaping for smokers if, as he said, smoking is far more damaging than vaping?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That does not make sense in the real world. Is any other country taking this approach? It would be great if nobody smoked but the reality, unfortunately, is that lots of people still smoke and it does them damage. The Minister is saying that we know anecdotally that smokers who use vaping as a means of ceasing smoking, or at least reducing it, find it very beneficial. Is that something to...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is in an ideal world. Presumably, the public health view is not really to move from smoking to nicotine replacement; it is to stop smoking.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: However, that is not easy to do.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is overly purist. I do not understand that approach.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I have a very quick comment on the point about living in the real world. In the lifetime of the Government, we have seen, for the first time in 25 years, an increase in young people starting to smoke and vape. We are talking about nicotine replacement therapy or treatment as a temporary issue, but that is not what we are talking about when we talk about vaping. We are talking about...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: It is not a question for the Minister.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: My reason for raising this matter here today is that it is the only opportunity to hear from the Minister about his thinking. This measure will come in with the Finance Bill on Wednesday, as it is a provision of that Bill.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Is there any chance the Minister could send us a note on the rationale for it?

Select Committee on Health: Business of Select Committee (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Thursday, at 5.30 p.m. might be too late.

Select Committee on Health: Business of Select Committee (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is three weeks in a row.

World Mental Health Day: Statements (10 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister of State. That concludes statements to mark World Mental Health Day: Making Mental Health a Priority for Everyone.

Teachtaireacht ón Seanad - Message from Seanad (10 Oct 2024)

Teachtaireacht ón Seanad - Message from Seanad (10 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Seanad Éireann has passed the Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024, without amendment.