Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Who was the genius who decided to build it there and denied there was space, which I do not believe? There is ample space both at the back of and at the front of the building. According to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, we will not be driving cars, so we will not need the car parking space. It is a huge area. There is balderdash that old buildings and new buildings cannot be tied together. It is being done every day of the week with listed buildings, hospitals, public buildings, public offices, courthouses and so on. That does not wash with me at all. When did the HSE start to use the word "opinion"? Does it not have engineers' and architects' written reports that it can stand over? There could be a thousand opinions at the protest march and that is fair enough. We all have opinions but the closure of a hospital, denial of services and disregard for the people cannot be based on an opinion. I wonder now if it is political. I did not realise that 20 palliative care beds had been put into University Hospital Waterford. It took the three palliative care beds we had. We were promised three in St. Anthony's, as Deputy Cahill said. In my latest meeting with the HSE, we were told there was only going to be one bed. It was to be a new 60-bed facility, but the witnesses mentioned 50 beds in St. Anthony's. It is stepped down the whole time. There is no way in the world that one bed in Clonmel, two in Clogheen, where Ms Walsh does great work, and two in Cluain Arann will suffice for south Tipperary. It is an insult.

Fundraising goes on for the hospice and the great work that the nurses do. I have great experience in it. I lost two brothers, two cousins and many friends in palliative care. I visited Carrick-on-Suir many times and saw the hospice. I never heard anyone complain that it was dangerous. The five beds were a bit tight, as they were in other hospitals, but there were reduced numbers, which I would have accepted, but a vendetta was carried out against the people of Carrick-on-Suir and now the HSE will not go back to it. Either it is covering for the Minister or he is covering for the HSE. I do not know who is covering for whom but it will all be uncovered. The genie is out of the bottle. The witnesses do not have an answer among them.