Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I wish the Senator well in getting one seat out of three in his constituency.

I support the call by Senator O'Meara for a discussion on accident and emergency units. The Tánaiste is coming before the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party this evening, but I call on the Leader to allow for a debate on this issue. In the local hospital in Roscommon, we have an excellent new accident and emergency department having spent €8 million to €10 million on the hospital, yet there are nine observation beds regularly left closed. A review of surgery at Roscommon County Hospital is taking place at Portiuncula and I would like to ask the Tánaiste publicly about the outcome of this review. A hospital without surgery is not a hospital or an acute hospital. Any threat to surgery in Roscommon will be resisted by me now as in the past.