Today, there is going to be a meeting of the HSE drugs group with those living with Friedreich's ataxia and their families, who have travelled to Dublin. They are desperate for Skyclarys to be made available on the scheme. The drug is the only one that can slow down the cruel and debilitating disease that is Friedreich's ataxia. I have spoken on this before. I hope today brings an end to the fight of these families for access to the much-needed drug.

I also raise the issue of legal aid. We are confronted yet again with another stark reminder that words from this Government do not mean much if people cannot access the services they need when they need them. Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, warned yesterday that there are now legal aid deserts across the country. These are places where people cannot access legal aid, with not enough solicitors available to represent people seeking domestic violence orders and fleeing domestic violence.

We have a situation where survivors who find the courage to take the terrifying decision to seek protection discover that there is simply no solicitor available to stand beside them in the court or even answer the phone when they reach out for help. We hear from the Government that we have a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence, but zero tolerance must be reflected in the experience of every person who turns to the State for help. That is currently not what is happening.

For someone escaping abuse, every delay carries consequences. It means remaining in fear and at risk. The numbers are stark. Only 21% of calls that were made to FLAC last year could be answered. How many of the unanswered calls were related to domestic violence and made by people who did not receive the support they needed? We cannot allow this situation to continue.

There is a broad debate happening in the public realm at the moment around legal aid. This is an incredibly vulnerable group of people who are not getting the support they need. Survivors of domestic abuse deserve immediate access to legal aid and representation, regardless of what part of the country they live in. I ask the Seanad to have a debate on this as a matter of priority in September. The Minister must urgently outline what emergency measures will be put in place to address these legal aid deserts, recruit and retain more solicitors and ensure that no victim is left behind facing the courts alone.

I recognise that a committee on domestic gender-based violence, in which Seanad Members will participate, is to be set up in the coming months. We are facing a moment of crisis in this country and if we do not get ahead of it as legislators, it will only get worse. This is a part of that.