Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all the staff for their friendship and help during my term here.

South Tipperary has been failed by this Government and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments over the years. The St. Michael's unit in Clonmel has been closed. We have no mental health beds in south Tipperary. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who is seated behind the Tánaiste, closed St. Brigid's Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir and has refused to open it. On 25 October, I asked the Minister of State about the community nursing home in Cashel. She gave me a long list of things that are happening in Nenagh and Clonmel but did not mention Cashel, the issue I asked about. At that stage, €184,000 had been spent but not a block laid or even a site chosen. In the week and a half since, we have been told another €20,000 has been spent, meaning €200,000 has been spent with no site chosen. We need to know what is happening. This is another complete failure by this Government and previous governments. It is another waste of public money, with €200,000 of public money spent and nothing to show for it.

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