Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I support Deputy Kenny's proposal that the House sit until 6.45 p.m. in order to hear from the Minister for Health and Children, or some other Minister, and to have questions answered about the additional information we received since yesterday about what has happened in Tallaght hospital. I am supporting this proposal in the first instance because the Government has a separate proposal on the Order of Business today to close down the Dáil until Tuesday week. Therefore, today is our last opportunity as representatives of the people to question Ministers in the Chamber about the situation at Tallaght hospital. We have heard much over the years about things going wrong in the health service, about misdiagnoses, tests that were not followed up, various cutbacks that have taken place and so on. However, of all the issues I have heard about, there is nothing as incredible as the idea that somebody goes to the doctor complaining of something, the doctor decides that he or she needs an X-ray and writes a letter to Tallaght hospital to arrange it, but the letter is never opened.

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