Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach very much for his reply. I have actually visited the unit and I did respect the privacy of the patients; I stayed at the door and spoke to the staff there. I have gone in to see patients because I have sometimes been asked to do so. The Taoiseach said an independent body makes that decision. That is fair enough. However, the independent body made that decision in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. It continued to make that decision and no funding was given. The Minister, Deputy Butler, received an extra pittance. I am not inspired the Taoiseach's answer. He is giving me further doubts that the full 18-bed mental health unit will be up and running in Bantry General Hospital as it should be. It is now 25 years since the mental health unit was opened in Bantry. The unit in Bantry had shared bedroom facilities in line with the standards 25 years ago, but the standards have changed and the unit in Bantry has not received the funding from the HSE or the Government to make the necessary changes. The Taoiseach during his term in office has failed to give a start date for the endoscopy and stroke units in the hospital. If what I heard were true every time it was mentioned that a block was put down for that endoscopy unit, by God there would be ten of them in west Cork already.

The Taoiseach has a chance to redeem himself here. I will ask him once again. Will he give me a cast-iron guarantee for the people of west Cork that funding will be provided for urgent work for the mental health unit in Bantry General Hospital to keep the 18-beds that are there at present? The Taoiseach is right about Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, whom he said raised the issue in this Chamber. He was with the Taoiseach that day in Bantry General Hospital, however. They both walked beyond the Bantry mental health unit and shamefully turned their backs on it. It is time to deliver.

See this speech in context