Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate. It is important we should have as much debate as possible on the provision of health services, particularly given the large budget administered by the HSE. I agree with the previous speakers with regard to their comments on cystic fibrosis and mental health sufferers. However, I will confine my comments to dealing with some of the positive aspects of the health service. Debates sometimes become clouded by focusing on shortcomings and misgivings, but it is not all doom and gloom.

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Harney, and her team of Ministers of State for their commitment to their job. It is not an easy area and issues often arise which are not of their making or that of their predecessors but which go back many years. We must place the health service in the context of developments since the foundation of the State and through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when investment was not made because the country was not in a position to invest in capital and current health service budgets. Given this history, the health service is coming from a deficit position or a standing start.

Debates on the provision of health services often go back to the old health board versus HSE argument and focus on whether the situation was better when there were eight health boards and health board meetings were held once a month. We debate whether we should reverse engines or whether the situation was better then than now — I do not believe it is.

My constituency is served by a number of hospitals in Limerick city. Eight consultants were recently appointed to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital and the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, officially opened the Children's Ark, which is a full-time teaching facility. A number of public representatives were involved with a deputation from the maternity hospital and plans are afoot to provide a new maternity hospital on the grounds of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, which is welcome and positive for the area. The Mid-Western Regional Hospital does not have the physical capacity to cope with the throughput with which it must deal. Both medical and non-medical professional staff within that area work under extremely pressurised conditions. The HSE and the Department of Health and Children are examining the situation with a view to relocating to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital campus. They have outlined a construction timetable for that and are working through a planning phase of the programme. I urge everybody involved in the HSE and the Department of Health and Children to keep the process on track.

Previous speakers referred to the HSE's annual budget, which is €16.2 billion. I wish to outline some of the areas which I find to be quite positive, particularly concerning services for the elderly. We are awaiting legislation in this regard but €110 million is being provided to cover extra costs that will arise this year under the new long-term residential care scheme which was announced by the Minister last year. The purpose of the new scheme is to equalise the level of State support provided to individuals in public and private nursing homes. It also aims to make private long-term residential care affordable and anxiety-free thus obviating the necessity for people to sell or mortgage their homes in order to pay for nursing home care. No one currently in long-term care will be financially disadvantaged by the scheme.

An extra €25 million is being allocated to increase community services provided to older people. It will also allow for increases in a number of home care supports, home help hours and day respite places. These services, which have seen a major investment in recent years, are designated to help older people to live in their own homes. The policy is to build up sufficient home and community-based care so that less than one in 20 people over 65 will be in residential care.

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