Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I agree with Senator Finucane on the article in the newspaper last Sunday. It is time we considered the use of the PPS number when registering people to vote. It would solve many problems and also present opportunities. This is especially the case in respect of presidential elections. If, for example, somebody from Carlow found himself in Donegal at the time of an election, he could legally vote in Donegal. This makes sense. We should update our outdated system and consider having a national holiday to encourage people to vote. Often they cannot vote if they are commuting and travelling great distances. We should examine these issues.

I agree fully with Senator Henry on the MRSA superbug. I recently attended a meeting in Kilkenny involving people who were directly affected by the bug. One lady, who had been in a ward with four others, explained she found out she had MRSA when the contract cleaners came into the ward. One cleaner asked the other what mop he was using around the lady and when the latter asked why he wanted to know, the former said it was because the lady had a serious infection. This is truly shocking. One can imagine the lady's reaction and that of the patient beside her.

Last week we heard a presentation on cystic fibrosis. The representatives said their greatest fear on going to hospital did not pertain to cystic fibrosis but was that they might pick up the MRSA superbug while there. It is time urgent action was taken on this issue.