I attended a briefing this morning organised by Senators Humphreys and McFadden concerning the Parkinson's Association of Ireland. I learned that over 12,000 people in Ireland have Parkinson's disease. While I know there are many regions with their own association, the Parkinson's Association of Ireland runs a helpline where a specialist nurse phones people with medical queries back because not every region is covered by its own association. There are only five specialised nurses in the whole of Ireland and one of those posts is vacant so there are only four regions with a specialist nurse.

Parkinson's disease is a very debilitating illness in that people have a shake. It can affect their walk. The talk this morning was very worthwhile. I certainly learned a lot from it. While I know some people who live with Parkinson's disease, I did not realise some of the conditions that were associated with it. The association receives no direct funding from the Department of Health. Many times, those with the disease must travel abroad for treatment because of the shortage of neurologists here. I am looking for the issue to be raised with the Minister for Health in terms of the Department directly funding the Parkinson's Association of Ireland to extend the helpline and create more specialised nurse positions.