Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

This is my first opportunity to wish the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Pat Carey, well in his new portfolio. I know him for a long time and I am sure he will do a very good job in it. I wish him the best of luck. I am delighted he is a member of the Cabinet.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. The Nurses and Midwives Bill 2010 repeals the Nurses Act 1985 and provides a modern statutory framework for the regulation of the nursing and midwifery professions. The primary objective of the Bill is the enhancement and protection of the public in its dealing with nurses and midwives. It will provide for a modern, efficient, transparent and accountable system for the regulation of the nursing and midwifery professions.

It is important to have the Bill before the House and to recognise the significant contribution nurses have made to society, especially to many people at a time of illness. We have heard stories also about midwives dealing with the births of children. People are dependent at such a vulnerable time. Many people in this country have trained as nurses. A total of 89,580 nurses are registered with the board. The profession has been dominated by women. Of the total number of nurses, 82,500 are ladies indicating that approximately 7,000 men have taken up the profession. They are the pillars of society in every country. It is unfortunate that one has to spend time in a hospital to appreciate the work of nurses.

It is a caring profession and many nurses are drawn to enter it because they want to make a real difference and to care for and help people. It is welcome that when young people decide to go into a profession so many take up one that is about helping other people. It is not only a worthwhile profession; it is a vocation that many young people choose. In England the young Irish girls who are being trained as nurses in hospitals such as Whipps Cross and many other well known places are spoken of highly in terms of being well trained and articulate. As a nation we must be proud of them. One cannot speak highly enough of nurses and their contribution to society. I have four sisters in the nursing profession and I have seen how dedicated they are to looking after other people. That is why I welcome the Bill.

In welcoming the Bill we must deal with the concerns and frustrations nurses encounter in their daily lives. At a time when it is more and more difficult to finance the needs in the health area, huge misspending of money in the Health Service Executive is evident. That is a strong statement to make but I do so because there were no cutbacks in management compared to the cutbacks nurses experience on the ground. Clonmel Hospital in my constituency is subject to the reconfiguration programme of the Minister for Health and Children and the Health Service Executive. Nurses in that hospital are worried and fearful as they go through the process of reconfiguration. They see at first hand the input each of them has made into the services in the county. The committee is reconfiguring the service, which will affect the service and take people's jobs and livelihoods away. The service is needed and nurses have to wait while management in the Health Service Executive consider leaving the county without it. It is understandable how 10,000 people congregated in the streets of Clonmel on a cold March day to march behind the nursing profession and the people of the county in order to maintain the wonderful service.

The existing maternity service has already been reconfigured, as part of it came from Cashel many years ago. The Health Service Executive is now considering taking the service out of the county. Are the Minister and the Health Service Executive serious about the proposed closure of one of the finest establishments in this country? I say that without fear of contradiction. I visit that hospital on a regular basis and I meet constituents who refer to sick relatives and how well treated they are in the hospital, yet an expert group is considering closing down the hospital service in the county. People are afraid that will happen but we do not know what will happen. We are waiting for a committee decision to hear whether it will take part of the services from Clonmel Hospital and put it into Kilkenny or take services from Kilkenny and put them into Waterford.

A big, new hospital is supposed to be built in Waterford. I heard the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern, say there is not a red cent to build a hospital in any part of the country. Why are we wasting time with officials looking at projects when there is no money to implement them? At the same time there is no money to pay nurses to fill positions in maternity hospitals and general hospitals. I read in the newspaper today that beds are being closed in Clonmel Hospital because there are no nurses or staff to look after people there. Who is in charge of what is happening in the health service in this country? Is it the Minister for Health and Children, the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health and Children or the Cabinet? I wonder who is in charge and is allowing this ridiculous situation continue. The reconfiguration should stop. We should stop wasting taxpayers' money.

I say that sincerely because according to a member of the Cabinet, there is no money to build a big hospital. Discussions on the amalgamation of services and the construction of bigger facilities are continuing nonetheless. Have I ever heard anything so ridiculous? Have I ever had to come to the House to explain something so silly to a Minister?

I want to make a plea on behalf of my hospital, as Deputy Joe Carey did earlier on behalf of his hospital. Millions of euro have been invested in the service in south Tipperary. A High Court agreement is in place. If my figures are right, over €20 million has been spent across the hospitals in Clonmel and Cashel. Our Lady's Hospital in Cashel needs to be opened. The building works that have been ongoing for many years need to be finished. The nurses in that hospital should be allowed to get on with providing services. The same thing applies to Clonmel. The maternity and accident and emergency services in County Tipperary should be retained to reassure people in the county who are worried that their children may have accidents in the middle of the night.

There is a funny situation in County Tipperary. If the maternity unit in Clonmel is closed, no Tipperary child will be born in the county. If there is no hospital where children can be born in the premier county, which is one of the finest and largest counties in Ireland and has a population of 180,000, will we be able to stand over that? I challenge the Government Deputies who come in here week in, week out, to defend that.

I support much of what is in this Bill. We must start by looking after the nurses on the ground. The nurses in County Tipperary have been providing a wonderful service for many years. We need to give them a sense of freedom. As someone who listens to them every day, I know they feel they have been isolated by this Government. They are not represented on the committee that is supposed to be looking after their future. What is happening is wrong, unfair and unjust. The Government has to answer to the people of County Tipperary. I ask the Minister, Deputy Pat Carey to bring my message about Tipperary to the Cabinet.

I feel strongly about this huge issue. Regardless of which Government is in power, if it changes direction to do what is being considered in Clonmel I will not stand by it under any circumstances. Taxpayers' money has already been spent and reconfiguration has already taken place. I am putting up a sign telling the Government to keep its hands off the services in South Tipperary General Hospital. I mean it. I want to say it strongly. As someone who has family members working in the hospital, I know many of the people who have given a commitment to the hospital. At a time when we are talking about the wastage of money, it is wrong to allow this committee to continue to do what it is doing.

I am glad to have had an opportunity to say a few words on this Bill. I have made the case for the nurses of Clonmel. I welcome many aspects of the Nurses and Midwives Bill 2010, which will help to protect the community. We are all in this together. Everybody wants to ensure the people get a better service. They need to be protected. It is important that we are introducing regulations. That should be welcomed. I wanted to make a strong point on behalf of my constituents, including the nurses who are so committed to their jobs. We need to start by supporting them. If we make them feel they belong and ensure their work is honoured and recognised, we will have a better nursing profession. They will know that in the future, they can take out mortgages and send their children to college. If they are to have secure futures, their jobs are important.

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