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

In the past week or so a local newspaper in County Wicklow reported on what can only be described as a secret meeting involving the Tánaiste and senior administrators and medical personnel from St. Vincent's and Loughlinstown hospitals. It was also attended by Deputies from County Wicklow and the Labour Party Senator Aideen Hayden.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Government's intention to downgrade the 24-hour accident and emergency service at Loughlinstown hospital to that of a minor injury unit and to transfer the accident and emergency service to St. Vincent's Hospital.

I find it strange that the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, rather than the Minister or either Minister of State at the Department of Health is taking this matter. I find strange also that no Deputy from Dún Laoghaire was invited to a meeting to discuss an issue which has been very controversial for quite a few years. Despite that I have raised this matter during the Topical Issue Debate on several occasions and have tabled numerous questions about it the Department, or whoever organised the meeting, did not have the courtesy to invite representatives from the Dún Laoghaire area, where the hospital is located. It is extraordinary that this should have happened. This smacks of political manipulation of the worst kind and shows disrespect not only to the elected representatives from the Dún Laoghaire area but, more important, to the people of Dún Laoghaire, Loughlinstown, Shankill, Ballybrack and other areas surrounding the hospital.

I understand that at the meeting people were informed of the Minister's intention to bring a proposal to Cabinet to reconfigure accident and emergency services in south Dublin by downgrading the 24-hour accident and emergency service at Loughlinstown hospital. I would like to know why Deputies from Dún Laoghaire were not invited to the meeting. Had this anything to do with the fact that I and others have campaigned against the downgrading of these services? Also, where are the details of this reconfiguration? I understand that people were also told at the meeting that this reconfiguration would result in a better, safer and more efficient service. Given the large numbers of people regularly left lying for hours and often days on trolleys at the accident and emergency unit at St. Vincent's hospital it is hard to understand how it will cope with the overflow of the approximately 21,000 people per year who attend the accident and emergency unit at Loughlinstown hospital.

Can the Minister of State confirm that the hospitals' budget for the reconfigured services will remain the same? I understand they are to decrease by 3%. As such, not only will the accident and emergency service be downgraded but the budget to deal with the same volume of cases will be smaller. How does all of this tally with the long stated commitment of the Tánaiste, who is from Dún Laoghaire and, mysteriously, was invited to the meeting when other representatives of the area were not, to upgrade Loughlinstown hospital to a regional hospital and with the Government's commitment to care in the community and so on? This reconfiguration will result in a displacement of services so that they will be at an ever greater distance from people in the Wicklow and Dún Laoghaire areas.

See this speech in context