Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, for sharing time. As a native of Nenagh who was born in Nenagh hospital and whose first job was as a domestic staff member there, I would like to acknowledge the extensive capital works carried out there over the past number of years. Front line services have been improved with the introduction of emergency technicians and paramedics who are fully operational. One of the campaigns I strongly supported was increasing patient safety in an attempt to bring those services as near to us in our local community as possible.

I would be the first to acknowledge that accident and emergency services are not satisfactory at the Mid-West Regional Hospital. We had sought the implementation of services there before the service after 8 p.m. in Nenagh was removed. However, we will continue to work with the Minister and the HSE to provide greater patient safety and services in a much swifter fashion in the near future. Final preparations are in place and we look forward to the launch of the full service in a new state-of-the-art endoscopy suite at a cost of more than €2 million. I was pleased to first welcome that in July 2007 under our programme for Government. In-house training of nurses is under way among the existing staff of the hospital and the training plan is in place to up-skill to work in the new suite. Nenagh enjoys the presence of one of the most highly regarded gastroenterologists in the State. The two lifts were installed and they were fully operational this week. They needed to be replaced as did the CT scanner in our hospital. We look forward to a national cancer control assessment unit.

Former Deputy Barry Desmond and Deputies Brendan Howlin and Michael Noonan served as Minister for Health but not one of them spent a cent on capital funding for Nenagh hospital during their tenures. The division later will be lightweight on the part of those who tabled the motion in view of what the Government has achieved, given the economic constraints. Their vote will have no credibility.

With regard to Clonmel general hospital, of the nine options that have been discussed with the steering group and those involved in the specialised areas, none will be operational. They are being explored and one option was leaked to the media recently, conveniently for some political people. We can anticipate further leaks of misinformation, possibly from HSE staff members. However, no decision will be made, at least within the next year, regarding services at the hospital. I look forward to increased patient safety and enhanced services in all our hospitals. I have no hesitation supporting the Government amendment.

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