Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

After the first ten minutes of this morning's meeting, I wrote down three or four times the need for a plan. It was an obvious point. Reference has been made to the regions and it is proposed to address that. Cork, Limerick and Galway have been identified in this respect. There has been no reference to the midlands or the north west, including Donegal, Sligo, Mayo or such areas.

Due to the trauma for the parents and the patients, is there a necessity for a plan B which might be added to the plan? There is a plan to address the issue, but it will not clear the waiting list no matter how bad things get. Could we append a plan B to that, which might address the seriousness of the situation in a way that the patients and their families will recognise is there for them in the event of something terrible happening? We all have emails which we could read out. I will not go into that because it is too traumatic. I emphasise that there is a necessity for that plan B to be added on.