James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

noting:

— that Ireland has the highest incidence of cystic fibrosis in the world;

— that Irish patients experience a much more severe genetic mutation of cystic fibrosis than that experienced by patients in other countries; and

— that a person born in this State with cystic fibrosis has an average life expectancy which is many years lower than a patient suffering from cystic fibrosis in Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom;

recognising:

— that in January 2008 the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE promised to fast track the development of 14 single rooms by the end of the summer, as an interim solution to the bed problem, however only eight beds have been delivered;

— that the HSE planned for the roll out of national neonatal screening service for cystic fibrosis in its 2008 national service plan, however this has not happened; and

— that funding for the development of a 120-bed development at St. Vincent's Hospital, of which approximately 30-34 beds were to be dedicated for cystic fibrosis patients, has been delayed until 2011 at the earliest;

calls on the Minister for Health and Children and the Government to:

— instruct the HSE to commence immediately the development of the urgently needed and life saving cystic fibrosis unit at St. Vincent's Hospital and thus provide 34 inpatient single ensuite beds as part of a 120-bed development at St. Vincent's Hospital so that these facilities will be available in 2011.

I wish to share time with Deputies Shatter, Creighton and Enright and Crawford.

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