Senators:

Could the Minister with responsibility for regional development be invited to the House to address the Government's policy on regional development? The west has taken a serious hit in recent weeks, both economically and with regard to health. Last week we spoke about the Shannon- Heathrow slots and the impact this will have on both business and tourism. In the past few days we learned, from figures released by the HSE, that Galway University Hospital was due to appoint 25 nurses in September but that this has been deferred. Three of those nurses were needed for cardiothoracic care, so bypass operations and cardiac surgery could be carried out in Galway. Yesterday we learned that a stroke and geriatric——