Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What has come across clearly today is that all the decisions on closing St. Brigid's have been based on opinions. As Chair of the committee, I propose the HSE comes back with consultant or engineer reports on the corridors and wards so that we can see where the decisions were made, because we have not received them so far. Everything is just opinion. As I said earlier, I could have an opinion on the runways in Dublin Airport but that does not mean I am able to run Dublin Airport.

It was admitted that no costings were given in comparing like with like for a new building or the refurbishment of St. Brigid's. Can we get something with which we can compare the decision the HSE took to where we are now? That is where the frustration is. The people in Carrick-on-Suir and the surrounding catchment area of St. Brigid's always ask where the report is that contains the decisions that were made to take this service out of their location. This is at a time when all we hear about is community care. We all appreciate more people are staying at home, but there are people and families for whom this is not a possibility. That is where hospitals like St. Brigid's, small care units with palliative beds, are priceless to a community.

It is not just affecting County Tipperary. We are talking about three counties. It is not as simple as moving patients to Clogheen or elsewhere in Tipperary or Waterford. There is no public transport system in the smaller, regional towns such as Carrick-on-Suir. It is not just a black-and-white case of closing down the hospital and telling people to use public transport.

We want to see any such reports and ask that they be furnished to the committee. We will look at them and decide where we go from there. There are an awful lot of answers we still have not got, even after today, about the decisions that were made.