Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the most critical debates we have had since I came to Dublin and Dáil Éireann. What will happen on 1 January is of critical importance. It has significance for farmers, business exporters and importers, hauliers, fishermen and many other sectors of our economy. We were recently told by the Department of Finance that one worker in seven could lose his or her job because of Brexit. I fear it will hurt my part of the country, rural Ireland and particularly rural Kerry, worse than anywhere else. I ask and hope that the Government and the Minister can minimise the disruption to our economy in whatever way they can in the talks in the days and weeks before the end of the year.

The Minister mentioned that residents of the North would be reimbursed if they had to travel to Europe, to the South of Ireland or to Dublin for medical treatment if, for whatever reason, they could not find a treatment in the Six Counties. The Minister did not mention a similar arrangement for our residents going northwards to Belfast. I cannot understand that. Surely we should be looking after our own before we look after anyone else.

One year ago, when we asked a question about the continuation of the cross-Border directive after Brexit, the Minister promised that a Bill would be introduced to ensure a bilateral arrangement between England and Ireland on travel across the Border, which in our case related to cataracts, where many people would otherwise have gone blind in the past three years. I fear that almost 2,000 people would have gone blind if we had not put in place that service. I am very proud and glad it has been so successful. Both myself and Deputy Michael Collins from west Cork got that service going and we were the first to do that. We are very worried now. It seems that political expediency is coming into this now and that Fianna Fáil and some Fine Gael Deputies are anxious to stop both us and that service. I was very disappointed in recent days to hear Deputy Colm Burke from Cork, a companion of the Minister and, like the Taoiseach, a Member from Cork, suggest that the service should be stopped at this time.

Little does he know how important it is to have one's sight. The one thing my grandmother, before she went to her grave - she lived to be 97 years of age - used to pray and hope for was that she would not go “dark” as she called it. She did not want to go blind. I appeal to the Minister, as he promised us more than a year ago, to put in place legislation for a bilateral arrangement to ensure we can continue the service after 31 December. I am sad to say that when asked about this a couple of weeks ago, Deputy Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach of our country, was smirking and laughing. It is no smirking and laughing matter if one is going blind or is facing the threat of going blind. If one is roaring with pain in the middle of the night and needs a hip operation, it is not fair to be told one has to wait two or three years to get an operation in Cork or in Tralee. The Taoiseach is promising some centre in Cork but that will take two years or more, if it ever comes into being. I appeal to the members of this Government on this matter, and it is not a laughing matter. We will remind them about this every day of every week we are up here for whatever length of time we are here. If this Government is going to let people go blind on its watch we will remind it of this. If it is going to allow people to continue roaring with pain, we will remind it of that too. I appeal to the Minister in regard to this service, and I respect him for his promise a year ago, as it looks like the Taoiseach has stopped and grounded him. I ask him to stand his ground and to ensure that people in Kerry and Cork do not go blind for the want of this service we have been supplying to them for the past three years. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

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