I am pleased to join my colleagues today in marking Pride month. This is an important month to reflect on the role we each play in supporting equality and inclusion in Irish society. Pride is about visibility, dignity, respect and celebrating identity and belonging. As a Minister of State in the Department of Health, I am particularly conscious of the importance of inclusion services. Good public health policy must recognise difference and remove barriers to access. Members of the LGBT+ community can face more complex health challenges in relation to mental health, well-being and substance use. Our goal is for everybody to be equal. We want Ireland to be a place where absolutely everyone can live healthy and safe lives. As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, I am determined our drug and alcohol services across the country are designed to be accessible, safe and responsive. That is why building capacity within services to understand and meet the needs of diverse communities remains a key priority for me. Our community services enhancement fund has previously helped expand access for groups which can face additional barriers, including women, minority communities and the LGBT+ community. We also know that tailored supports are important. Dedicated services for LGBT+ young people, developed through local drug and alcohol task forces, provide safe and non-judgmental spaces for support. These services focus on education, early intervention and harm reduction, empowering young people to make informed choices and to seek help when they need it. The draft national drugs strategy for 2026 to 2029 places a strong emphasis on fairness and access and seeks to ensure services are responsive to the needs of all communities. We are also continuing to implement our national sexual health strategy and develop a model of care for HIV. This is alongside continuing to invest in PrEP and expanding access to meet demand. Every year, €6.5 million is invested in this and we also make sure we have the staffing there, which is hugely important. Our Healthy Ireland framework is also being reviewed for the first time since 2013. I want to ensure the importance of promoting good health and well-being for our LGBT+ community is acknowledged in the framework. Pride is a celebration of identity and community and I wish everyone who is celebrating this weekend in Dublin a happy Pride. I know Carlow is having its Pride parade on 12 July and Kilkenny's Pride celebration runs from 23 July but the parade itself will be on 25 July. We have come a long way in Ireland in improving rights for the LGBT+ community and it is important to celebrate this. It is also important that we are mindful of those who would seek to take us backwards or say we have not done enough. I know we need to do more and we have to do so. I compliment my good friend John Paul Payne who is organising the Pride parade in Carlow with a load of volunteers. Well done to him. Carlow Regional Youth Services has a dedicated youth worker and a safe drop-in place. All these measures are important. Pride is important, not just as a celebration but as a chance to refocus our efforts on making Ireland a truly inclusive society.

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