Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I support the calls to the Acting Leader for a debate on the State Airports Bill. It should be discussed at the earliest possible opportunity because its provisions, which set out a requirement to agree business plans, have not yet been reached and unfortunately, Shannon Airport and the other airports are suffering as a result. Regrettably, the management of the Dublin Airport Authority is still actively involved in the day-to-day running of Shannon, as it has completely lost the workers' goodwill through its change management process. A recent ballot on the proposals was rejected out of hand. However, the Dublin Airport Authority management has made no approach to work through a plan that will benefit the region and the entire west. Some outdated thinking underlying the Bill's provisions may need to be addressed and I would welcome a debate in this regard.

I also wish to refer to some of the health provisions that have been discussed and in particular to the lack of occupational and speech and language therapists in the mid-west region, which has lagged behind every other district in Ireland and possibly every other district in the Western world. At present, an outrageous situation exists in respect of elderly people who require the services of an occupational therapist in order to be provided with aids to living at home. I refer to basic facilities such as extended toilet seats to allow those with mobility difficulties to be able to use sanitary facilities. It is appalling that elderly people are so treated and it reflects poorly on the HSE that it is unable to apportion its services in a manner that does not detract from the mid-west. This issue must be addressed.