Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I join with colleagues in calling for an urgent debate on the sugar beet industry. Fine Gael tabled a Private Members' motion on this matter in January and, unfortunately, our worst fears have been realised. It is time we had an urgent debate on the matter.

It is worth pointing out that the sugar beet industry is a very lucrative one which made profits of over €10 million last year. I wish to put that on record as the impression has been created that sugar beet was making a loss. This is an example of the worst form of corporate greed. It is time to take a tough stance on this issue and work with our European Union colleagues to ensure we have a long-term, sustainable sugar beet industry. The treatment of people involved in the industry, especially in Carlow, has been disgraceful. Carlow no longer has a beet factory and it appears there will be no beet growers in Carlow either. Greencore has made an application for a rail depot but from what the company has said in the past I do not think the rail depot will ever become a reality. I do not believe the company wants a rail depot but maybe I will be proven wrong.

A report recently came out in the UK about the MRSA superbug which revealed that one in 11 patients there has contracted it. I presume we would have a similar figure here or perhaps it is even worse. I am amazed that the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has finally decided to do an audit of hospitals, but she has chosen the months of July and August to do it. Traditionally those months are the quietest in hospitals. I am not too sure how much we can read into the findings of such an audit.