Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I ask the Deputy Leader his views on the comments made by Mr. Justice Paul Carney in a lecture he delivered in Cork yesterday evening on victim impact statements. He referred in all but name to the trial of Wayne O'Donoghue for the murder of young Robert Holohan and his comments clearly raise painful memories of that trial. Will the Deputy Leader arrange for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to clarify whether he has any intention to reform the method by which victim impact statements are made and to outline what he sees as the role of such statements in future cases?

I have raised the issue of cutbacks in the HSE on a number of occasions. I remind the House that the Minister for Health and Children stated the cutbacks were having no impact on patients. However, given that they appear to be causing untold harm to patients, we need to revisit the issue. In The Irish Times today it is reported that not only is the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH, unable to discharge patients because community care packages have been, it is also unable to accept patients because it has insufficient beds. A Dublin man who requires intensive rehabilitation after suffering a stroke is in a different hospital because he cannot gain admission to the NRH. That, clearly, has a significant impact on the individual concerned. The chairperson of the hospital's board has spoken about the implications for patients.

I am sure many Senators listened to "Morning Ireland", on which a dentist spoke about the impact of the cuts in dental services on schoolchildren and children with special needs. A number of Ministers have spoken in this House as if everything is rosy but we would like to hear more realistic speeches and replies to the points we raise. Real debate is needed on real issues and if they are making choices on cutbacks and priority areas, let us hear about them in order that we can have a proper discussion about what is happening in the real world of hospitals and patients. I ask the Deputy Leader to take that point on board and ensure we will have a real debate on these important topics when Ministers attend the Seanad.