- The costs of public transport poses hardship to many people with epilepsy who are not eligible for Disability Allowance or any other payment which Free Travel is attached to. - The Free Travel Pass would enable people who have been told they cannot drive for a minimum period to stay economically active and compensate them for the added costs of public transport. - This would make a huge difference to supporting people with epilepsy in travelling to work, retaining employment and improving overall quality of life. - Travel concessions for people with epilepsy are available in other countries and there should be similar provisions here. - Successive governments have not delivered on the issue of free travel despite intense lobbying from organisations - we need public support on this issue!

Both sisters are profoundly deaf and entirely dependent on Cochlear implants and the essential support services they have been receiving, in their home here in Cavan. Their speech development has been significantly delayed due to late implants. Deportation would have detrimental impact on their education, health, security and language development. If they get deported back they will have to transfer to a non-English speaking environment, where they will be unable to speak the language. This will majorly disrupt the progress they have been achieving here in Ireland. Their current struggles with their education and development will only be made worse. Their school principal at St. Clair N S Ballyjamesduff fully support this petition ) as does TD Niamh Smith Support.

Limerick City is nationally recognised as a priority area in the mental health crisis. We know the interventions that need to be taken, and are not willing to stand by anymore and listen to empty promises from politicians. Depression is the largest cause of disability among those aged 10-24, and suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among young people in Europe. Depression is an important predisposing factor for suicide among adolescents, and this age group have high rates of suicide in Ireland. • There were 425 deaths by suicide recorded in Ireland in 2015 (latest figures) • Limerick has twice the national average rate of suicide. • Limerick City also has high rates of self-harm among adolescents. A particular period of life which can see depression emerge is adolescence. The fact that there are huge changes, both socially and mentally taking place leaves young people more vulnerable and susceptible to mental illness. Mental health issues which begin during adolescense can persist into adulthood. Over half of adults report their mental health illnesses stemming from the ages of 12-18 years. Schools are in a unique position to promote mental health and emotional well being, to provide a health promoting environment and to identify young people experiencing emotional distress. The roll out of evidence based mental health awareness programmes in Irish schools should be undertaken as a matter of priority in order to develop mental health literacy, promote positive mental health and prevent suicide in this vulnerable group (World Health Organisation) One school based intervention, Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), which was a brief, universal mental health programme that was delivered in the classroom over a 4 week period was associated with a significantly lower number of subsequent suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. Its aim was to improve mental health literacy and coping skills of young people, to raise awareness of risk and protective factors associated with suicide and to enhance young people’s knowledge about mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It included role-play sessions, interactive lectures and workshops SEYLE, an extensive European study recently undertaken, found that a universal school-based public health intervention, such as YAM can prevent one suicide attempt for every 167 students targetted, along with a wide range of other benefits, and recommends such a programme in every school. (WHO) In one of its leading actions, Connecting for Life Midwest, under the national strategy for suicide prevention says it aims to ‘target approaches to reduce suicidal behaviour and improve mental well being among priority groups.’ The Limerick Local Economic and community Plan 2016-2021, under the action area, Health and well-being, states that it aims to ‘Promote population health and well-being and conditions in local communities to support positive mental and physical health.’ Our young people can't wait anymore! As a start, this preventative measure must be implemented in all Limerick City schools. Thank you for signing the petition and please share.

Period poverty is a reality for women and girls. Sanitary products be expensive and the costs mount up every month. For many low income women its often a choice between paying essential bills and food and buying sanitary products. This is a choice that they should not have to make. A cross party group of TD's are proposing legislation that would see women and girls in direct provision, homeless hubs and in schools having access to sanitary products. https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2019/0228/1033577-your-politics-episode-12/

At a time when other countries are progressively acting to restrict the harmful effects of slot machines, we believe the adoption of this act would be a regressive step, increasing the potential for gambling addiction in Donegal. In short, this is a short-sighted money grab by a handful of business people at the expense of the wider Inishowen and Letterkenny communities. Gambling addiction is the most hidden and corrosive addiction and also the hardest to treat. Counsellors from White Oaks and Gamblers Anonymous who are at the coal face of this issue have spoken out, urging councillors to refrain from adopting this motion. It is shocking that councillors would consider adopting this act without hearing from them. At a minimum, they should have equal time to present their expertise and concerns to the Inishowen and Letterkenny Municipal Councils. The business people operating these gaming establishments HAVE been asked to address the Municipal District Councils and have lobbied them to legalise these casinos. They claim 129 jobs are at risk in Inishowen following Revenue seizing slot machines because their establishments were not compliant with the current laws. Let’s be clear here, this is a red herring. These gaming establishments currently operate as private members’ clubs which allows them to bypass the current laws, but those laws do restrict the size of the payouts these machines can make. These establishments are already very lucrative for the owners, but this attempt to allow them to increase the size of the payouts is an attempt to make them even more so. Allowing these establishments to increase the size of the payouts will give them leave to prey on the most vulnerable, with increased payouts acting as a lure to draw more & more people into further debt. Slot machine play is one of the most harmful forms of gambling in the world. Much of the focus around gambling problems is aimed at the individual gambler, but it is also important to look at ways that the games themselves contribute to gambling problems. High speed of play and features that promote false beliefs comprise some of the more problematic elements associated with slot machines. Slot machine players may find it helpful to be aware of those features that may make slot machine play more risky. Irish people lose more money per head on gambling than anywhere else in Europe, with an estimated 40,000 Irish people already in the grip of this addiction. Slot machines are huge revenue generators, and many of their features are designed to keep players in their seats in order to maximise revenue for the operator. Some of the machines’ features, however, may lead people to believe they have a better chance of winning than they actually do. Most players don’t realise that the reels on slot machines are weighted so that low-paying symbols come up much more often than jackpot symbols. Unbalanced reels are created when one reel contains fewer jackpot symbols than the other reels. This makes it more likely that players will see two jackpot symbols but less likely they will see three. This creates a type of ‘near miss. When players watch the reels spinning, it looks as if all symbols have an equal chance of coming up, but this is not the case. Players would have no way of knowing that one of the reels is lacking in jackpot symbols and could believe they have a better chance of winning than they really do. Slot machines are quite simply an operation in deceit. We urge councillors not to bow to the pressure of a handful of business people at the expense of the many. Listen to the experts and ask addiction counsellors dealing with the victims of this predatory business to have equal time to give their presentations and act in the interests of the health and wellbeing of the residents of Inishowen and Letterkenny. Sinéad Stewart, Inishowen Cathal Mac Fhloinn, Letterkenny

The community of Stillorgan have been ignored for far too long. This pool is a vital part of our community. It is important for... OUR Physical and Mental Health The health and safety of our Children Swimming Lessons for our local school children Teaching our Adults how to SWIM Teaching the Swimmers how to SAVE LIVES Training Olympic and Special Olympic Swimmers, Training our Championship Swimmers and world record holders. Our Deep water and Scuba Divers. Our Water Polo teams Our Fitness and Rehabilitation Non Impact exercise for those unable for high impact exercise. Long distance lane swimming. Aqua Aerobics Swimming for fitness and pleasure. Local community social gatherings Local Jobs and so much more Glenalbyn was more than just a fun space to splash about in. It provided VITAL services for our community and beyond. Ignoring the wishes of the Stillorgan has gone on for far too long. All our elected council representatives voted on MONDAY THE 11TH OF FEBRUARY to keep ring-fenced funding and put motions forward calling to rebuild our facility urgently. We are calling on DLRCOCO to honor their commitments to the people they serve and reinstate the ring-fenced funds and begin the redevelopment of our pool immediately. We have waited long enough.

At the end of 2018 Minister for Health Simon Harris said that he wanted to do everything he could to reduce crisis pregnancies including providing greater access to free contraception. He said that it would be a legislative priority in 2019 to make female contraception more widely available.[1] The expense of accessing contraception can be prohibitive. Many women have neither medical cards nor funds for contraceptives, or emergency contraception. They also often have to pay for an initial doctor’s consultation as well as repeat appointments for prescription renewal. The proposal for “expanded access” to condoms is welcome, people need to be able to avail of the best form of contraception for their bodies and situation. We call on Minister Harris to ensure that any necessary research into the free access and free provision of all methods of contraception to the public is promptly undertaken, and necessary legislation introduced as soon as possible in 2019. [1] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/vending-machines-may-be-used-to-distribute-free-condoms-says-hse-1.3745092

People from the West and South Offaly area have to travel 45 minutes to Tullamore for access to a doctor outside of office hours. The MIDOC service offered out of hours doctors in Birr up to last year, when the service was suddenly withdrawn without warning or explanation.

We need to have a conversation about its location, size, facilities, and cost. If we, the people, are to spend €2 billion, we need to be consulted about how our money is being spent. The hospital, as currently scoped, is not sized for the current population. It will not be coastguard helicopter accessible in cases of emergency. Co-located with a maternity hospital would be desirable. There is no denying that we need and want the best of care for our children, but the Children's Hospital project in its current runaway state, is dangerously close to making us the laughing stock of the world. We demand more transparency and accountability. Re-open the discussion on location. Rigorously consult the people now.

23% VAT rate on supplements outstrips the VAT paid on fast foods!!! It puts a serious financial burden on people who use supplements, especially on the elderly. This outrageous increase in price will push the cost beyond what many people can afford. It will also have a serious impact on the health stores and pharmacies that sell and offer this important service.

Nurses are currently experiencing terrible pay and working conditions. There are not enough nurses employed by the HSE - nurses employed are being overworked to deal with the government-induced healthcare crisis. The result of this is seen in the overcrowding, patients on trolleys and lengthly waiting lists. We cannot take our nurses for granted and we stand with nurses strike action in Kilkenny!

To date there have been 11 cases of meningitis and 3 deaths. The under sixes and early teens are both particularly susceptible to this virus. At present children born before October 2016 are not vaccinated with the meningitis B vaccine and to do so privately costs over €300.