Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is not the first time I have raised this issue on the floor of the Dáil. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I have continually raised it with the Minister of State for a number of years. Táim buíoch go bhfuil an cheist seo roghnaithe inniu le plé a dhéanamh ar Ospidéal Íosaf Srath an Urláir agus ar Ospidéal Pobal Ráth Mealtain mar tá an cheist seo fíorthábhachtach do dhaoine i nDún na nGall.

The communities in Ramelton and in the Finn Valley remain in limbo about the long-term future of residential care in their much-loved community hospitals, Ramelton and St. Joseph's. Despite repeated assurances from the Government, including from the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, that the projects would be financed, but that has not happened. We even had an announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, that the funding was allocated. Oireachtas Members have been told that everything will be fine, that detailed design will take place in late 2019 and that planning will occur in early 2020. Despite the assurances given to Members who wish to save those vital services, however, we know that not a red cent has been allocated to date.

Just last week, senior officials from the HSE confirmed to us at that forum that they have not received formal approval for either project yet despite their repeated requests. That leaves them in a position whereby, if nothing happens to these hospitals by 2021, HIQA will close the beds down. That is basically it because there will be non-compliance. Given the current position on the commitments made heretofore, to the effect that significant works would be carried out at the hospitals to the value of over €300 million, the HSE now has to consider plan B. Plan B is to carry out minor works by 2021 to make sure the hospitals are in compliance with HIQA standards. This is to prevent HIQA from coming in to close the facilities down. That means some en suitefacilities will have to be added to rooms and that the dignity of patients will need to be preserved, but it is another example of the HSE squandering money and waste within the public service. It is another example of everything that is wrong with this Government and with planning. What should happen is that the project should be given the green light this year, as committed to. It makes no sense to carry out minor works on the hospitals only to have to carry them out again when doing the major works. The Government will probably tell us again it is committed to this work.

I will focus on the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, personally. He sat with me, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Pringle, the current Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, and the committee members who travelled a long distance from Donegal to come to the Oireachtas on 7 November 2018. The Minister of State told us, along with senior officials from the HSE and the Department of Health that the project was going ahead. He told us there would be a detailed design in 2019. He told us there would be an allocation. He told us planning would proceed in early 2020 and that there would have to be sequencing in terms of patient transfers between Ramelton and Letterkenny while the works were ongoing. That is now not happening. The Minister of State's promise has been broken. There have been deep suspicions among members of the community and the activists about what the Government has been telling them because they have heard all this again. Last week, a statement was made to us categorically, in black and white. It is nothing but another set of broken promises because the Government has not given the go-ahead for the project to commence.

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