David Norris (Independent)

I also welcome the Minister of State, as I know she is both passionate and caring. As she knows, I do not make a habit of raising hospital issues, but I have a track record in this regard. I direct her attention back to 8 December 2008 when I raised the question of a geriatric home in Carlow which was being closed unnecessarily by the HSE, with a report recording only minor decorative difficulties, etc. There was a considerable threat to the mental and physical welfare of the patients who were tragically moved against their will and, in my opinion, illegally.

I have visited Valentia and also Derrynane, as I have always been an admirer of Daniel O'Connell. While I was visiting friends on Valentia, half the island turned up and they were discussing the future of the hospital. I wondered what Daniel O'Connell would think, as the people were caught in a difficult position.

What has happened as a result of the work on the Harney report? The former Minister commissioned a report and it emerged that there were three kinds of hospital which were funded separately: private hospitals, State-funded facilities and services funded by the community. The hospital on Valentia falls into the third category, but, to its immense disadvantage, it is being lumped in with private hospitals, which means it will be very difficult to keep it going without additional State support.

The hospital has a fascinating history, having opened in the 19th century in a timber building. The material used was part of the structure used in laying the transatlantic cable for which Valentia is world famous. The building was donated by the transatlantic cable company and the land was given by the Knight of Kerry, a member of the Fitzgerald family. A stone building was constructed in 1887, while the timber building became the fever hospital which burned down in 1914.