Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also am delighted to be in position to speak on this Bill. Before he leaves the Chamber, I thank Deputy Feighan, for whom I have a lot of respect, and I am not scoring points with him at all. I am familiar with the position regarding the hospital but he knows as well as do I that dealing with HSE officials and so on is extremely difficult. One does not get proper information and all Members come under pressure. In addition, Deputy Feighan made many valid points with which I agree completely. Cards were given out willy-nilly like Christmas cards but people got gold cards for 20 years from the State body and from the Department. Moreover, neither Deputy Feighan nor the Minister of State ever objected to it. Consequently, everyone must take some share of the blame. We all went mad and that was never right. It was ludicrous that the Department was unable to conduct a proper assessment at the time and we now are paying the price for it.

Before Deputy Feighan runs away, I was present on the day when the grey brigade came to the church down the road, whose name I cannot recall, during the lifetime of the previous Government. I went there accompanying my good friend, the former Minister of State and Deputy, Seán Connick, and we met extremely frustrated and annoyed people. Moreover, I was out that evening, when the former Minister of State, Máire Hoctor, was on the podium. At the time, I saw several Fine Gael Deputies - I do not include either Deputy Feighan or the Minister of State, Deputy White - on the platform agreeing with people. Unfortunately, a game has been played in this regard.

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