John Kelly (Labour)

It is not about patient safety. This is about money and in this case about saving it at the expense of the people of County Roscommon.

I note from today's newspapers that the Minister supposedly intends to put in place an urgent care unit in Roscommon hospital as a replacement for an accident and emergency department. However, neither the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, nor the ambulance service is co-operating with it and this reiterates my point that no advanced paramedics system is in place. The Minister of State should enlighten Members as to the Government's future direction because I am here to bat for the people of County Roscommon and do not wish to see people dying on the roads to Galway. I will repeat a point I have made many times previously, which is that 50 years ago, the country had geniuses who knew it all, like the HSE today, and who decided to remove the train tracks because they thought they never would be needed again. They now realise they made a mistake. Will a similar realisation dawn in respect of the future delivery of health services?