James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 4, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following:

"6.—From the commencement of this Act any review of services, including those of any land and buildings, at Saint Luke's Hospital, must be laid before the Dáil and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children by the Minister for approval.".

I do not wish to delay the House unduly on this amendment. We discussed this issue at a meeting of the Select Committee on Health and Children. I proposed that I would table an amendment on this matter for Report Stage. I want to read into the record what I said on this matter at the Select Committee on Health and Children. I said:

I will table an amendment on Report Stage to have any review of services or new plans for St. Luke's Hospital brought before the committee by the Minister. This would allow members to have their say and act on the basis of full information.

I also make another point which is not relevant to this matter. I will cite, for the benefit of the Minister of State as the Minister for Health and Children is not here, what the Minister said in reply. She said: "I am happy to agree to Deputy Reilly's suggestion." Therefore, I am somewhat surprised to see amendment No. 2, which does not reflect what I sought, unless amendment No. 2 is to be subsumed into the amendment I tabled. The difference between the Minister's amendment and the proposal I highlighted clearly on Committee Stage, to which the Minister agreed, is that any proposal for any changed uses of lands at St. Luke's would be laid before the Dáil and the Oireachtas Select Committee on Health and Children.

The Minister's amendment states "the Executive shall use the land vested in it by this section for the purposes of the delivery of health and personal social services within the meaning of the Health Act 2004", but it does not stipulate, as I did in my amendment, of which I gave notice and to which the Minister agreed, that any proposal for any changed uses of the lands would be laid before the Oireachtas by the Minister. The purpose of doing that is to allow the Oireachtas act on full information and to allow the people to see precisely what plans are being put in place before such plans are acted upon. That is what democracy is supposed to be about. It will not in any way tie the Minister's hands per se. If the then Government were to have a majority on such a proposal, then it would have a majority, but at least the people of Ireland who have used this wonderful service would know of the proposal.

We have all been at one in praising the service provided by St. Luke's, in particular, its ethos, the manner in which it looks after patients and their families in such a holistic fashion, and the great work done by the organisation, Friends of St. Luke's. They all want to be assured that the people, as represented by their elected representatives through the Houses of the Oireachtas, will be able to have a say on what happens to St. Luke's Hospital. That is reasonable. I was very pleased that the Minister agreed to that proposal. She said: "I am happy to agree to Deputy Reilly's suggestion." I hope there will not be any rowing back from that position.

I appeal to the Minister of State, in representing his senior Minister, to accept this amendment. What I have said is true and it can be checked in the "blacks". There is no question of my trying to in any way to twist what the Minister said. What I cited is a direct quote from her from the record of the Committee Stage debate.

I propose that this amendment be accepted. I believe it will meet the concerns of many people who have used St. Luke's, are very proud of their association with it and who wish to see the wonderful ethos in it continue throughout our oncology services.

I do not wish to end on a negative note but the reality is that the HSE does not have such an ethos and we are deeply concerned that the ethos in St. Luke's could be lost and equally that those lands and buildings could be lost. We do not want to see that happen.

See this speech in context