Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this Private Members' motion. My comments may not find full favour with Deputy Twomey, but what I have to say is what I believe. My comments relate to the structure of the motion rather than its sentiments.

It is a very simple motion which calls for a particular way to deal with people presenting at accident and emergency departments who are under the influence of alcohol, which is a laudable sentiment. Surely this is a matter for local hospital management. It is a hospital micro-management issue which should be dealt with by management at accident and emergency level. The motion calls on the Government to implement health and safety procedures for staff and patients within the hospital environment.

This is an issue for hospital management at the coalface. Health and safety procedures must be the responsibility of local management. It is very simple. Health and safety procedures cannot be universal; they must be site specific. If not, they are only being developed as a cosmetic exercise. Site specific health and safety procedures are a matter for local management. The motion refers to removing hangers-on from accident and emergency units. Again this is an issue for management at local level.

The motion should call on the Government to provide the additional resources to ensure accommodation is provided in accident and emergency departments and provide the ancillary accommodation needed so that management can implement the measures called for. In that regard, I make a plea to the Tánaiste to ensure the application from the Health Service Executive western region for the provision of an assessment unit at Galway Regional Hospital is approved forthwith so that management there can set about improving the situation at the accident and emergency department.

I also appeal to the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to ensure that approval is given to the Tuam hospital project so that a community hospital can be built to replace the hospital that closed four years ago. The Tuam community hospital would act as a step-down facility. It would relieve the pressure on University College Hospital Galway, which is an acute hospital and a centre of excellence, and allow people to recuperate in an environment closer to home in a community hospital. That is the genesis of the Hanly report. I ask the Tánaiste to put it into effect on a pilot basis. She should use Tuam, a hub town, as the location to put the theory into practice.

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