Mary Henry (Independent)

I am sure Senators would wish to congratulate the European Union Commissioner, David Byrne, on his initiative yesterday in bringing together in Brussels the Health Ministers from EU member states and applicant countries to discuss a pan-European policy on preventative health care. However, it is unfortunate that Ireland's Minister had to attend – I am sure he made a valuable contribution to the debate – at a time when the doctors involved in preventative medicine here remain on strike after four weeks. I ask the Leader to request that the Minister come before the House to explain how he proposes to deal with this serious situation.