Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I listened to the scatter of backbenchers who contributed, including Deputies O'Connor, Hoctor, Peter Power and Fiona O'Malley. Fear could be smelled in my office. Deputy Hoctor accused the Labour Party of seeking to downgrade Nenagh Hospital. My understanding is that the Government she supports wants to downgrade Nenagh Hospital, whereas Senator O'Meara is leading the charge for its preservation. The Senator had the support of Deputy Michael Smith who, as Minister for Defence, rebuked Deputy Hoctor for moving to implement the Hanly report at Nenagh.

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