Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is at times like these that we recognise the value of the emergency services. I saw it myself, standing at the lines in Creeslough where people were rushing in to a building that could collapse and, again, yesterday evening, as people risked their own lives to make sure that other lives were saved. Thankfully, we are standing here today with a plan that was executed without fault in relation to the safety of patients. That needs to be our focus in the time ahead.

We are conscious that this is still, as the Tánaiste said, an emergency phase but we need to hear of some actions now in relation to where we go forward. There are the concerns, as the Tánaiste will recognise, of people who have had appointments cancelled. Is there any information that we can provide them in relation to whether they are likely to be rescheduled in other hospitals over the intervening period?

In relation to capacity in the region, as the House will be aware, for eight years this 90-bed ward has been talked about. It has not been delivered. Is the Government committed now, as the Tánaiste mentioned, that from the ashes of this here we can ensure that the capacity is injected into the region to make sure that we support it? Crucially, can we provide adequate time next week to look at the response and to make sure that we respond in an appropriate way when we have more information?

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