Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Last week in the Taoiseach's absence, the Minister for Defence advised the House that the Hanly report had been changed and that the threat to accident and emergency services at Nenagh and Ennis hospitals had been lifted. Will the Taoiseach spell out exactly in what way the Hanly report has been changed, as the Minister claimed? Will he advise the House of the present status of the report? When David Hanly addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, he advised that 60% to 70% of cases presenting at accident and emergency units at local hospitals were of a non-urgent variety. Does the Taoiseach not accept, therefore, that 30% to 40% of cases presenting are of an urgent variety and require accident and emergency attention at the local hospitals closest to where the patients might present?

Do the changes to which the Minister referred mean that the Government has now taken on board that there is a risk in terms of urgent cases presenting at hospital sites throughout the State and that the Hanly report has been altered to meet that need? If that is the case and there is no threat to accident and emergency services at Nenagh and Ennis, will the Taoiseach advise if the same formula will be applied to Monaghan General Hospital and the Louth Hospital at Dundalk and that we will see the restoration of on-call status at both these hospitals for all accident and emergency requirements?

Today, the National Cancer Registry of Ireland published a study which, in its own words, provides strong evidence that cancer treatment and survival can depend on where one lives. It points out that the Eastern Regional Health Authority has a significantly better chance of delivering the required supports and people have a better chance of living with cancer than they do if they live in the North Eastern Health Board area, on which I depend, and in the Southern Health Board area. Is this not indicative that there is not only a two-tier health system in regard to people's ability to pay but also geographically?

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