Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. I worked in the health service for 23 years. If Senator Feeney was ever obliged to travel in the back of an ambulance with a child who was very ill, she would hope that arrival at the hospital would not be delayed by a traffic snarl-up because seconds can be vital. Reference is often made to the golden hour. On occasion, it can be a golden minute. Some needy little individuals might often require a high level of care and attention.

There may be a case to be made for having two accessible centres of excellence, one in the north and the other in the south, but that neither should be located in Dublin. I do not intend to take away from people in Dublin or their needs. In places of high population density where the expertise is available, it is preferable to centralise services. In the context of the outcomes achieved at the National Children's Hospital, I have nothing but the highest regard for my colleagues and for Ministers and Ministers of State, such as Deputy Brendan Smith, who have ensured an excellent service has been provided down through the years.

There are many positive aspects to this legislation. However, it was distasteful to include provisions relating to co-location in it. As a former health care professional, I appreciate the need to rush through the legislation but I do not see the need to deal with co-location at this point.