Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a representative of the communities serviced by the Galway and Roscommon University Hospitals Group, I wish to express my sympathy and that of the communities to the family of Savita Halappanavar. It is a great tragedy. The public, particularly the parts of it serviced by the hospital group, wants the truth about and the facts of the case as soon as possible. An impression is being given that maternity services in this country and the hospital group are unsafe, but that is not the case. The group's standards meet the best international standards. Anything that can be done to facilitate the completion of the investigation and to reveal the facts of the case needs to be encouraged. I hope that the family can participate in the inquiry.

The Minister referred to a 6% increase in emergency department activity and mentioned that admissions from emergency departments had increased by 2.5% in the first nine months of this year. Are the changes to community supports and the failure to fill the community nursing vacancies and so forth having an impact in this regard? Will the Minister focus on this issue during the next year to try to remove some of the pressure? The issue of home help is tied into this matter. From the figures supplied to me by the HSE, an approximate average of 5.68 hours has been taken from individual clients since the beginning of September. Up to 12,500 clients may have had their hours reduced. This puts pressure on emergency services.