Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I appreciate his commitment to look into this matter. The cystic fibrosis sufferers, families and the association want to hear as soon as possible that there is a date for the opening of that unit and that the protocol will signed be off on. Will the Taoiseach also look into why the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has not really been engaging with the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland on this issue? It has contacted his office to try to get a response from him but it is getting nothing. Similarly, it is getting no engagement whatsoever from the management of St. Vincent's hospital. It will be greatly assured if the Taoiseach can come back as soon as possible so there can be a clear announcement as to when the unit will be opened and the 34-bed maximum allocation for cystic fibrosis suffers will be available. Will he assure us that these delays are not resulting from what the media reported today as pressure from the Minister's Department on hospitals and on the HSE to make savings through schemes that are in development and are not yet in place, which can be delayed or deferred, or any opportunity to reallocate resources? That is what the Department is saying to the HSE. Is this delay in the cystic fibrosis unit possibly as a result of that pressure coming from the Minister's Department? Will the Taoiseach assure us that is not the case and that the unit will open as soon as possible?

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