Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My goodness, how would one follow that? The Minister of State will certainly have a place in the Cork Opera House after the next election. She will be there, or a place like it, if she acts as she has done. She stood up and said she had a plan. Was it Abraham Lincoln who said he had a plan or a dream? The Minister of State does not have a plan, a dream or a vision for sorting this out. The Government closed our hospital for psychiatric services in Clonmel. The Minister of State knows where I am talking about. She promised all the plans in the world and the rolling out of community services, but that has not happened. The Minister of State may read out figures, but when will the plan be implemented? For example, when will Mount Carmel come on stream?

The Minister of State has listened to us this evening and may hear of this issue every day of the week. If she is honest with herself and looks into her heart, she will realise that although the Government has had five-point and three-point plans in the past, all of them were for naught and they have gone up in smoke. Nobody believes the Government, as it has no plan, vision or idea. I salute the manager of South Tipperary General Hospital, as well as the people of Clogheen and Carrick-on-Suir, for the work being done. They are under pressure trying to do deals with nursing homes that are offering places. These people want to free up beds while the Minister of State is rubbing her hands and talking about a plan. The opera house will welcome her with open arms after the next election. It is where she will end up with that kind of talk.

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