Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

The US presidential election and its results concerned us yesterday and the day before. There was a major increase in voter turnout and that was great news. One reason for this, as far as I am aware, is that in America the presidential election day is a national holiday. That is something we should look at in Ireland in respect of general elections. A national holiday might encourage people to come out and vote in large numbers on the day, which would be good for democracy.

If the Minister for Health and Children is shortly to come into the House could we raise with her the issue of the sale of lands around hospitals and where the moneys realised will go? It would give us the opportunity to ask the Minister if the money is to be kept in the region where the land is being sold or disappear to some other place. While most people have no difficulty with options being considered, they would prefer to see money raised from the sale of land being reinvested locally in hospitals or the environment.