David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The feedback last night for Mr. Fitzgerald and his team was that all staff - nursing, catering, medical counselling and so on - are excellent and have been providing a fantastic service. My colleagues and I would agree with that. The feedback we are getting is that the staff are very caring and professional. This is a fantastic service.

We know the building is not fit for purpose. As already stated, it appears that 31 October is an arbitrary date that was picked. Mr. Fitzgerald said it is not actually set in stone. As a result, there is a possibility of pausing this, going slowly and reassuring people and their families that their will and preferences will be taken into account and that we will all work together to come up with another solution. I put one on the table already with respect to the building across the road, which could, perhaps, be used on a temporary basis instead of the centre when the new hospital is built. The latter might be a year and a half away. I am not sure if Mr. Fitzgerald can or is prepared to wait that long.

I ask that Mr. Fitzgerald please take into account what we are saying. In my 25 years in politics, I have never been at a sadder meeting. I have been meetings where people were angry and where I have been taken apart and at meetings where I have received abuse. However, I have never been at a sadder meeting. Mr. Fitzgerald might take that away, and, with his excellent team on the ground, see what he can do to slow matters down in order to listen to the families and people involved and read the files in order to see what is going on.