James Bannon (Fine Gael)

We need the truth in respect of the Mullingar General Hospital, which services counties Longford and Westmeath. This issue has been prolonged time and again and the debacle that is the hospital's future has lasted for almost two decades. Ten or 11 years ago, we were promised that the hospital would be upgraded to a standard acceptable by the people of those counties. When I was a member of the Midland Health Board almost a decade ago, £60 million was ring-fenced for the development of the hospital's facilities, but this figure was recently reduced to €14 million.

The people of counties Longford and Westmeath want the truth concerning the future of their hospital. Progressive and ambitious young doctors are leaving the area to advance their careers, as they have not been provided with enough job security to remain in Mullingar. This is a serious matter for the people in the midlands and elsewhere who access the hospital.

On the cost of housing, it is important to free up zoned land around our towns and villages. Such would be necessary to provide additional houses for young people who want to get on the first rung of the housing ladder. Nationally, we are facing a situation where, ten years ago, land was zoned by local authorities and large developers purchased it, but they have not yet started developing it.

Despite what was said by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the change in planning guidelines, we need more flexibility for planning in rural areas. Those changes have not happened.