Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

They are well cared for in Monaghan and I would welcome the extension of surgical services there too.

The Bill updates and replaces the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1931 and two subsequent Acts from 1952 and 1960. Considerable time has elapsed since then which accentuates the need for reform and change and makes this legislation all the more welcome.

EU membership has been largely responsible for the dramatic change in the environment in which veterinary surgeons and personnel operate in this country. Advances in technology together with increased attention to food safety and animal welfare have transformed the situation for the veterinary profession. As food consumers we have a vested interest in the work of the veterinary profession and have become more discerning and questioning than ever before. Veterinary surgeons do a commendable job in all types of weathers while ensuring the integrity of the food chain. This integrity even extends to tourists' natural concerns about the dangers of BSE and its human form, vCJD, and we are all aware of the presence held at Dublin Airport and Border areas.

A television commercial features a female vet and two well known actors from my own county and constituency, Tommy and John McArdle, better known as the twin McArdles. It vividly illustrates the privations of veterinary surgeons called out in the middle of the night. It also illustrates the difficulty people have with remembering names when one of them takes off his hat and confuses the vet.

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