Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, visited the region and the substantial funding he provided. Hopefully, he will be able to provide more funding to assist in the very desperate situation. Has the Italian Presidency organised a special meeting of the Council of Ministers on national development to deal with the issue, help in co-ordination and ensure the funding provided by the EU and the individual countries is put to best effect? There is always an important role to ensure the public is conscious that the political system is reacting in a positive manner with the greatest possible urgency. Last week, I saw a statement attributed to the Italian Presidency and, unfortunately, it was more about doing something mañana than acting now. I hope the Minister and his colleagues, in every available forum, will ensure urgency is attached to the European response. The focus is shifting to what European countries are doing to ensure they are ready to deal with this very serious issue. Maybe it is a matter for the Minister for Health. Is there co-ordination at health service level throughout Europe on this very important issue?

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