Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I jest that I was not to raise UHL, only that I have heard so many promises in relation to it. The fact is it is the most discriminated hospital in Ireland. The region is discriminated against, with the lowest amount of beds, consultants, nurses etc. The plan, not only the beds, needs to happen. The Minister complimented Ms Colette Cowen and Dr. Gerry Burke and I thank him for doing so. The Minister might also wish the same Dr. Gerry Burke, probably the most publicly-oriented clinical aide I have ever met in my life, the best on his retirement tomorrow.

I have six questions for the Minister. I will list them off and give the Minister time to answer them. On nursing homes, the 400 pages of documents and the famous letter that everyone is talking about that the Department received from HIQA, the Minister might send us a copy of that letter but also might tell us when he himself read it. The Minister stated yesterday that the Department read it when it arrived and passed it on straight away. I accept that but when did the Minister himself actually read it? We need to correlate outbreaks versus that document. We need to see whether HIQA was on the money with its concerns. I am sure the Minister has done that already.

It would not have required a huge exercise by anyone in the Department to correlate the information. Has it been done? If not, it is bizarre. When I was a Minister sitting where the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is sitting now, one of the first things I would have asked yesterday was whether we could see what happened in all the nursing homes listed in the letter and about which we are concerned. The Minister might tell us the position on that. He should please tell me he has done what I have mentioned.

My next question is very direct. Regarding the nursing homes that have had outbreaks, was the Minister's Department or the HSE made aware of any care concerns beyond those related to Covid but arising from patients having to be transferred or nursing homes having to be taken over because of Covid? I will leave that with the Minister.

I have a straight question on private hospitals. Given the work of a number of Deputies, including me and Deputy Shortall, does the Minister believe it is a good idea, in order to fast-forward the bed capacity we all know we need under Sláintecare, to nationalise some of the hospitals? It is a straight question demanding a straight answer. I am not saying a Government would approve the proposal but I want to know what the Minister for Health believes. He obviously knows my views on it.

On cancer screening, which I always speak about, I presume the Minister has measured the changes in outcomes. I refer to issues relating to morbidity, delayed outcomes, delayed diagnoses, etc., because screening is not happening. Could we have a table for each month? I presume this work is ongoing.

With regard to the famous children's hospital, which has not gone away, what is the Department's current estimated cost? I presume the work is continuous. As of today, what is the estimated cost?

The Minister announced a change regarding the vaccine recently. I still do not understand why we are not just giving the vaccine to everyone for free for the coming year. It would be cost-effective. The Government does not even have to commit to providing it every year. It could be provided just next year, and maybe the year after. I would prefer it to be every year. Why will the Minister not commit to it? Considering that we are always talking about public health, and presuming every single person in NPHET believes in vaccination, why could the Minister not ask NPHET to consider it? Given that we go to NPHET for so much, all I am proposing to the Minister is that we ask it whether this would be a good idea. Must I write to it myself? Will the Minister please ask NPHET whether it would be a good idea and appropriate to introduce free vaccination for everybody in the country so we will not have to deal with both the normal flu epidemic and Covid in the coming year?

My final question relates to the National Maternity Hospital. I am sure the Minister is aware of the concerns Dr Peter Boylan has been expressing. While the facility, worth €500 million, is very much needed, are we 100% certain there is no issue in regard to the letter that has been sent from the Vatican regarding the transfer of ownership and allowing for the alienation and transfer of the lands to a secular body? I fully hope the information I have is true. Can the Minister confirm it is the case and that it is his interpretation? As far as I am concerned, it will be a first from the Vatican, so we are creating history. Could the Minister please confirm this?

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