David Norris (Independent)

I wish to be associated with the congratulations to Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. One of the happy benefits of the new arrival is that the Senator will no doubt pass on his beautiful and fluent Irish, thus helping to underpin the future of our language.

I also join other speakers in welcoming the appointment of Mrs. Justice Susan Denham as Chief Justice. It is a remarkable advance and part of the incremental progress we have made since the election of Ms Mary Robinson as President. I have known Mrs. Justice Denham since we were colleagues in Trinity College.

I hope the Leader can assist me in respect of an issue of which I became aware only by coincidence when I visited County Kerry last weekend to see the former residence in Derrynane of Daniel O'Connell, a man I admire greatly. On Valentia Island I was approached by local people who are concerned about the closure of their local hospital. I do not usually deal with the issue of the closure of individual hospitals but this is a particular instance involving a small community facility. I intend to raise the issue on the Adjournment, but there will be no coverage of that and it is an issue that needs to be covered. Throughout our country and throughout Europe, the system is being put above the people, which is the wrong approach.

A report was commissioned by the former Minister for Health, Ms Mary Harney, into the impact of the fair deal arrangements on community-supported hospitals. Before that, there were three categories of facilities, namely, private hospitals, State hospitals and community-supported hospitals. The latter were greatly disadvantaged by the decision to subsume them into the private hospitals category. The facility on Valentia Island houses some 20 people. I met every single one of them and was very moved to observe how the community is rallying around them. They are all of considerable age, one of them being 100 years old. If these people are transferred to three hospitals up to 100 km away, the community will be devastated and one of the last remaining institutions on the island will be removed by the Government.

Some €500,000 was recently invested in the hospital and the cost to the Exchequer of closing it will be twice as great as the cost of maintaining it. It is an insane book-keeping exercise. Are we going to put communities, like the community on Valentia Island, first? Are we going to allow them to visit their older people? Even people who have no relatives - there are very few of them - are accommodated within this community. I saw it myself and was greatly moved by it. I will raise the matter, with full facts and figures, on the Adjournment, but I am asking the Leader to give me some information on the status of the inquiry initiated by the former Minister, Ms Harney. It would help me to make the case on behalf of an island community which deserves our support.