Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to talk about a four year old boy from Dundalk - a wee lad called Billy - who was born profoundly deaf. When he was two and a half years old, he was given a cochlear implant. His mother has spoken about how he cried the first time he was able to hear noise. It was a hugely emotional time for the family. This is a very good example of how technology can improve lives. The problem is that Billy had to wait until he was two and a half because of funding issues.

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