I raise the ongoing closure of the south Tipperary memory clinic in Cashel and the growing impact it is having on patients and families across the county. I thank the Minister of State for taking the question, as I know it is an area she is very familiar with, given her previous responsibility in this area. Through a number of parliamentary questions I submitted recently, I received confirmation from the HSE that the memory clinic has been closed since January 2026. There is no reopening date, and while there is a review under way, families have no certainty as to when a fully functioning service will be restored. The figures provided to me by the HSE are deeply concerning. There are currently 450 patients awaiting an initial assessment and a further 168 waiting for follow-up appointments. That is a total of 618 people caught up in a system that is simply not functioning. This matters, as the Minister of State well knows, because dementia diagnosis is not a luxury; it is a gateway to treatment, care planning, family support and future decision-making. While the HSE points to dementia advisers and other support services, those services are not a substitute for diagnosis itself. What families want and what patients deserve is timely assessment and diagnosis. I know the Minister of State is very familiar with the dementia model of care. I think that sets out a pathway for timely access to assessment and intervention of six weeks, yet in south Tipperary, we have a situation where public memory clinics have ceased operating entirely. Patients are being left indefinitely, while GPs are being provided with information on private providers. I think that raises serious questions about equity of access. Will the Minister of State address the stark contrast with services available in other parts of the south east? I know the tremendous work the Minister of State has done in Waterford and Wexford, both of which provide a structured multidisciplinary approach to dementia assessment and support. Why is a comparable service not available to the people of south Tipperary? My understanding is that there is currently no dedicated memory service in north Tipperary either, and if that is the case, large parts of the county are effectively without direct access to specialist memory assessment services. We all know our population is ageing. We know that dementia referrals are increasing year on year. This cannot be dismissed simply as a temporary inconvenience or an administrative issue. This is a systemic failure, in my view. We talked about ophthalmology a minute ago. We have a similar systems failure with ophthalmology provision in south Tipperary, and we have a similar systematic failure when it comes to orthodontic care in south Tipperary. However, this particular memory clinic service failure is leaving hundreds of patients waiting for a diagnosis and is leaving families in distress. I plead with the Minister of State to engage directly with the Minister to address the specific issues. When will the review be completed and when will the memory clinic reopen?

Sentiment score: 0.05

I thank the Minister of State for her reply and acknowledge the extent to which she has been a positive force. I acknowledge the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, too, and the establishment of 25 memory clinics around the country. The central issue remains that we have no clear timeline for the restoration of service in south Tipperary. At the heart of my question lie the 450 people awaiting an initial assessment and the 168 awaiting a follow-up appointment. That waiting list will only grow as long as the clinic remains closed. As the Minister of State rightly pointed out, behind every one of those numbers is a person or a family living with uncertainty. Delayed diagnosis can mean delayed treatment, delayed supports and delayed planning for the future. I reference the national dementia model of care, which the Minister of State is familiar with, and the six-week optimal waiting list. I appreciate the commitment that the Minister of State has given. We really need to push for a timeline for completion of the review and, more importantly, for the restoration of services in Cashel and the re-establishment of the memory clinic in south Tipperary so that we can set a clear plan to address what is a serious and growing waiting list. This is a systematic failure by the HSE. It needs to be corrected and I sincerely welcome the Minister of State's commitment tonight.

Sentiment score: 0.20