Dáil debates

Thursday, 10 February 2005

4:00 pm

Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

That reply appears to be at variance with reports circulated following the Tánaiste's visit to Galway at the end of January when she met the deputation from Tuam Town Council to which the Minister of State referred. I refer the Minister of State to an article reporting an interview with the Tánaiste which appeared in the Tuam Herald following her visit to Galway. She said she was getting some experts to examine the situation regarding the possibilities for this property and that she hoped this report would be with her within weeks. She went on to say that after meeting the Tuam Town Council group and hearing its view she would analyse its presentation and once she got the views of the experts she would hope to have further information in a few weeks. That is what this question is all about. Why was there a need to get experts to review this project, or what is the Tánaiste talking about?

Will the Minister of State agree that before the new Health Service Executive came into being the body charged with the delivery of health services in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon was the Western Health Board? Anticipating that he will agree with that, given that is the first line of the replies to questions from the Department, will he agree it is time to accept the report put forward and submitted by the Western Health Board to the Minister on 8 October 2002 requesting that a health campus be provided in Tuam that would consist of a community hospital, an ambulance base, a primary care unit and a few other facilities? If he does so, surely it is time to approve this project.

Will the Minister of State agree that the national spatial strategy which was launched in 2002 lists 11 characteristics to identify a hub town, one of which is that a hub town would have a local or community hospital? Assuming he agrees with that because it is a characteristic listed in the national spatial strategy document, will he agree it is time to sanction this proposal and for the Government to indicate it supports that strategy? The Government can indicate that by sanctioning this project and, thereby, indicate that it also supports the national spatial strategy.

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