Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I agree with Senator Brian Hayes on the issue of MRSA infection. Reports in today's media relate that the consultant microbiologist to whom Senator Hayes referred claims that 30% of people now carry the MRSA bacteria but that it is a hospital-acquired infection. It is clear that adequate steps are not being taken to ensure people do not contract this deadly virus and die as a result. People have presented at hospitals, received whatever treatment they required and while the procedures they received were successful, they have died from MRSA. That is totally unacceptable. People are afraid to go to hospital in case they contract MRSA. It is endemic in every hospital in the country and it goes back to the issue of hospital hygiene. The Minister needs to look at who carries out that work in hospital. Traditionally, the ward sister ensured hygiene standards were adhered to but now it is contract cleaners. In some hospitals in the Cork region, contract cleaners come in at 7 a.m. and are gone before 8 a.m. Can one honestly say that within that period of time sufficient work has been done to assure people and allay their fears that this type of bug or infection has been dealt with?

Given the current climate, I call on the Minister for Agriculture and Food to ensure there is no complacency in terms of how we respond to the outbreak of avian flu in the UK. We must not be complacent but we must also ensure consumer confidence in our industry is not affected and do everything we can so that we do not suffer the same fate as our counterparts in the UK.