Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I was the Minister in the Custom House when this was being discussed. On 7 April last year I wrote to the city manager and told him my views, which were that I did not believe this was right, I did not believe the statistics that were being produced and I did not believe the economies the city management said existed. I do not accept HIQA's recommendations and I know the councillors, across all politics in Dublin, do not agree with this.

Let me say this out straight as the former Minister with responsibility for local government: this is an agenda of Dublin City Council; it is an agenda of the Dublin city manager. It is wrong and it needs to be stopped. The report that is on the desk of the Secretary General of the Department of Health, which the Minister can pick up the phone and ask him about, is going to recommend exactly what was recommended to me a year ago. It was wrong then and it is wrong now. The economies do not exist. In fact, I believe this will jeopardise lives. The integrated model that has operated in Dublin works well and has to be kept.

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