Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

Last week I raised the issue of the proposed primary care unit in Athlone and the Leader suggested that I had the same access to the HSE as he did. In that context, I duly contacted the HSE but the manager, who did his best to give me as good an answer as possible, said that the unit falls under a national directive. I ask the Leader, as a member of the Government, to find out from the HSE at national level when the primary care unit will commence operation. This has been ongoing since 1999. Land has been purchased but the people of Athlone are being treated with disdain.

I also contacted a different section of the HSE with regard to the budget for Mullingar Hospital and the allocation of funding for this year. I was told, in a very bland statement, that it would be the end of February before it was decided how the budget would be spent. I ask the Leader to intercede in this matter because many people are wondering about the discontinuation of ophthalmology, dentistry and other services at the hospital.

Yesterday I attended a very sad funeral of a constituent of mine, 15 year old Ian Evans, who suffered from cystic fibrosis. Ironically, I also read an article yesterday which said that people in Northern Ireland with cystic fibrosis had a life expectancy of ten years more than people living here. We must have a debate about cystic fibrosis in this House and how we treat those who suffer from the disease.