Today is No Wait Card Ireland Awareness Day. It is supported by Crohn's and Colitis Ireland, Spinal Injuries Ireland, the Irish Cancer Society and the Continence Foundation of Ireland. I thank Kildare woman Maria Crowe once again for raising the importance of this card. The Minister will know that, with the support of the Labour Part, I have a Bill on Second Stage to make this card widely available and recognised. I take the opportunity to thank the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, for her continued support and advice on this card, and the Chief Medical Officer and her staff. Raising the awareness and acceptance of this card would be a life-changer for hundreds of thousands of Irish people who suffer from bowel and bladder diseases and medical conditions, of which I am one. It would give us all independence and freedom to plan our lives better. I ask the Minister and Government to continue to support the development of such a card and ensure the Minister for Health has all the supports that her Department needs to bring this life-changing card to the hands of those who need it most, giving hope to young and old and changing their lives for good.

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