Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I applaud all the people from Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and elsewhere who are in the Visitors Gallery and who are standing in the rain outside the gates of the House. If I might use Deputy Ó Caoláin's words, they are the eyes and ears of their community and they have come here to see how Sinn Féin debates to safeguard our health services. I hope they will go back to those communities and report fully on the debate and on its outcome.

I thank all those who took part in the debate, in particular those opposite who might do the courageous and right thing and oppose the Government and Fianna Fáil amendments and support the Sinn Féin motion. This motion offers Deputies of all parties an opportunity to vote in favour of accessible, quality hospital care for our people, but it does something more than that. It also offers all of us an opportunity to demonstrate that politics can work and that politicians can be trusted.

The three most scary words in Ireland currently are "health services reform". People are scared for very good reason. They saw the Minister's predecessor, Mary Harney, in a Fianna Fáil-led government, talk about health services reform. What did she do? She dismantled a relatively good service and left us with the shambles we now have. Is it any wonder that people are scared when they hear the words "health services reform" spoken by a politician?

Tonight every Deputy has an opportunity to stand up and be counted. Some will have to decide whether they are here under false pretences and will have to deal with their consciences. Others will consider doing the honourable and honest thing and will consider voting against the Government and Fianna Fáil amendments and voting in favour of the Sinn Féin motion.

The Fianna Fáil amendment means nothing but then how could it? Its members are the very people who started this. Fianna Fáil closed the accident and emergency departments in Monaghan, Dundalk, Nenagh and Ennis and took cancer services from Sligo General Hospital. Now Roscommon County Hospital's accident and emergency department is the first of a batch of hospital accident and emergency departments to be closed under a Fine Gael-Labour Party Government.

The Minister for Health and the Taoiseach have repeated the mantra, "Big hospital safe, small hospital unsafe". That is a mantra for taking services from small hospitals. Small hospitals is a misnomer. We are not only talking about accident and emergency services. It will start with accident and emergency services but it will move on to other services very quickly. We are talking about centralising everything in a handful of regional centres. If, as the Minister said yesterday, patient throughput is a key determinant in regard to the quality and outcome of care, how come small private hospitals can and are allowed to run cancer services? If the hospital is private, it does not matter but if it is public, we must centralise and regionalise.

Hospitals are not doctor fattening units. They are places to which ill and injured people go. How safe are the overcrowded units in our large regional hospitals? What risk assessment has the Minister or any agency done on whether the hospitals adjoining Roscommon can carry the additional burden that will be placed on them because of the closure of accident and emergency services in Roscommon?

As the Minister will know, prior to the last general election, Fine Gael and Labour Party candidates promised unconditionally that Sligo General Hospital would have full breast cancer services restored within 100 days of them taking office or they would resign their seats. The Minister knows that promise was made and there is plenty of evidence of same. It is also probable that those Deputies would not be here if they had not made that unconditional promise. Are they here under false pretences? It is now very clear that they have a choice. They can vote against the Fianna Fáil and Government amendments and in favour of the Sinn Féin motion. Otherwise, they will be voting to support their party and against the interests and wishes of those they pretend to represent. I call on them to do the right thing or resign.

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