Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be sharing this matter with Deputies Gallagher and McConalogue. It is a pity that the Minister for State, Deputy Jim Daly, is not here. He called the people of Donegal strange last week. He stated that he wanted the opportunity to answer this question and, when we give him the opportunity to do so, he is not here. It is a bit strange that he is not here to outline the future of the three hospitals.

This issue first arose three years ago. The HSE and Government stated very clearly that long-stay beds were to close at St. Joseph's and Ramelton and that the same thing was close to happening at Lifford Community Hospital. It is now three years later. Up to 2,000 people took to the streets last week and there was a packed hall of community representatives who wanted answers. They have been fobbed off for the past three years. The then Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, went on Highland Radio and other stations in Donegal to inform people about multimillion euro sanctioning of grants, yet we know that not a red penny was sanctioned for those projects at that time.

We need to put our money where our mouth is. The community will only believe that the old plan is in the bin, where it belongs, and that the future of these hospitals is viable when the funding is granted and refurbishment is carried out. Get rid of all the spin and let us deal in substance. Has funding been approved by the HSE for the upgrade of St. Joseph's and Ramelton in order to maintain long-stay and short-stay beds? What is the current position in respect of Lifford? That is a campaign that needs to be mounted and won because we need those beds in our community in Lifford to complement what we already have in St. Joseph's and Ramelton and what we will have in Letterkenny.

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