Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When we met at the beginning of November, we thought there was good news and we cautiously welcomed it. At least the old plan to close down the hospitals is gone officially but the problem is we have been told things over and over again by Ministers that simply are not true. Ministers told us on the radio that the answers given in reply to parliamentary questions from Deputy Gallagher and others were not accurate statements of events and that comments made outside the House are the accurate statements. People are saying, "show me the money". The problem is that not a penny has been sanctioned for the work to be carried out in Ramelton or at St. Joseph's. This is the issue. It is the start of April and it still has not been sanctioned. In December, the Cabinet met for three hours and sanctioned hundreds of millions of additional euro for the national children's hospital. For three years, people have been taken to the streets in Ramelton, in Stranorlar with regard to St. Joseph's and in Lifford and they have not got a bean from the Government in terms of a commitment. When will the project be signed off? Will there be a commitment in it that the design team can be allocated?

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