Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to be able to speak on this motion. We see the waiting lists across every walk of society but people are waiting 12 months for gynaecological services. Waiting lists have increase by 67% since March 2015. We see the furore over this site and the way it has exploded and mushroomed and there is not a mention of the children's hospital. Tá sé caillte. It is in a major hole somewhere not even being talked about; it is off the radar and on the Richter scale. It is three times the price and on the wrong site from the first day. We have a site gifted by the good Sisters of Charity with a 299-year lease. People wanted it. That Sinn Féin has 100 properties was referred to. I did not know it had that much property. Why does it not give away for free some of its sites? I have often negotiated leases with schools, boards of management, different organisations and GAA clubs. It is wonderful to get a lease of 30, 50 or 99 years but to get one for 299 years is unheard of.

Heinous crimes were committed by some members of the clergy, both male and female but they have done good all over the world. It is costing €5.5 billion now for our NGOs to go around the world. The nuns did it for free. They brought water, education, food and healthcare to people all over the world. They had a massive reputation in this country in the 19th and 20th centuries for delivering healthcare and all we can do now is demonise, bad-mouth, wreck and attack them. It is shameful because they have no voice to speak. They are quiet people of prayer, faith and good, by and large, and they do great work. I could name ten of them with whom I worked on boards of management and whatever. They are dedicated solely to the good of their communities. They had no families of their own and they went away. One of them from my area who gave a lifetime of service in Africa is being buried today in County Monaghan. That is what they did. They left their families. To be attacked and under siege here every day, even on Saturday when people were outside the gate attacking them, is sacrilege. It is disgusting, to be honest.

We will certainly be calling for a vote against this motion and if we are on our own, so be it. However, we are proud to stand on the record of the good work and reputations of the sisters of many orders and the priests and laity who helped out. This project must be delivered; get it done. They have given the site. It is all about abortion. It is not about services; it is about abortion. Front and centre, that is what it is about. It is a phony debate. That is what it is all about and nothing else.

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