Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Minister of State, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, said. She has good intentions, but her reply was not good enough. We can all play politics with hospitals if we want to and talk about what we did and did not do over the past 20 years, but we are where we are today.

I travelled throughout south Kilkenny during a by-election and a general election during the past two years. Every house I went into in south Kilkenny referred to cardiac services. People asked me what would happen if they, their husband, son, daughter, father or mother had a heart attack because from 5 p.m. on Fridays until 9 a.m. on Mondays services are only available in Cork.

People living in south Kilkenny, south Wexford, South Tipperary or Waterford have to be brought to Cork for treatment. We all know that those who have had heart attacks need to reach services in time - we do not need to be doctors or professional people to know that.

Deputy Butler mentioned the Higgins report. The Herity report is a stitch-up because it overruled the Higgins report. The Higgins report made it plain that a second 24-7 cardiac service was needed for the people of the south-east. The Herity report counteracted that view.

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