Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

-----which ranges from Malin Head through Galway and almost to County Tipperary. After two hours of that meeting had elapsed, a Fianna Fáil participant made a sensible suggestion. He advocated that participants should break up into groups based on significant geographical parts to discuss the issues which were relevant to their respective areas. It was a sensible suggestion which basically was reminiscent of the old health boards in which there was local autonomy, local responsibility and local power over decision-making. All that was taken away from the people with the creation of the HSE monster. That is the real and present danger the Government has inherited from Fianna Fáil's past in power and its contribution. I stated that I admire what it is trying to do, which is to create complete amnesia and to suggest the past does not relate to the present. However, the unfortunate reality is that it does.

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