Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am glad he is still hale and hearty after so many years. The Senator can send him my personal best wishes.

It is important to remember the transition will last five years until 2014 and perhaps 2015. There are considerable safeguards and reassurances. The Minister heeded the concerns raised by Deputies and Senators and it is a tribute to the staff of the hospital that they will be retained in full. We will try to transfer the ethos to the new centres, which will be informed by clinicians and ensure the best outcomes for their patients. For the reasons I have stated, I oppose the proposed amendments.