Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

It is this aspect of the proposals on which I want to focus. We need honest debate in the House about the choices facing us. The worrying element of the proposals outlined to Deputies last night was that of the pending closure of community hospitals around the country. There are more than 100 such units and they give excellent care to the elderly. Such drastic action would seem impossible if not for the fact that the Government has already confirmed the closure of two community hospitals in County Laois, one in Abbeyleix and the other in Shane. Deputy Charles Flanagan stated on the public record that these closures were being dressed up as cost savings. This comes despite the promise in the programme for Government to prioritise investment in the supply of more and better care for older people in the community and in residential settings. As the Taoiseach knows, those units look after high-dependency patients and have multidisciplinary teams that often are not available to the same extent in private nursing homes.

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