Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The submission the Department of Health sent to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform suggested that five accident and emergency departments, including the one in Portlaoise, should be downgraded. The Minister of State is saying it is not intended to implement that submission. The only logical thing the Department can do is publicly withdraw the submission that is the source of the problem in Portlaoise. The Department of Health caused the problem when it issued its submission. I was interested to note that the Minister of State's response did not refer to the appointment of a team of medical specialists by the former HSE national director of acute hospitals, Ian Carter, who commissioned the review we mentioned. The Minister of State did not deal with that. She mentioned all the good things that are happening but she ignored the report that questions the sustainability of the unit. She did not say the Department of Health should withdraw the submission it sent to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, given that it appears to have no intention of proceeding with it in any event. The problem is that the systematic cut in the budget over the past three years has undermined public confidence and the confidence of staff in the hospital in Portlaoise.

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