Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Go raibh míle maith agat an tAire. I would like to ask the Minister a number of questions, if possible. I would have liked to have asked him how the essential organ transplant programme will function in the Galway area if Galway Airport closes down. I would like to ask him about the medical card debacle. How does he intend to sort the matter, as outlined by Senator Moloney? There are 158 people leaving the Galway west HSE through the redundancy programme, 50% of whom are nurses. How will the system function? Public health nurses and mental health nurses comprise 50% of the 158 that are leaving.

If I had more time I would have asked him about the pulling of dental services in the Connemara area, pardon the pun. How will the primary care strategy be rolled out when we have not enough people on those care teams? The most pressing question I have is on the St. Francis Nursing Home in Galway. Before Christmas a delegation from Galway met the Minister to discuss it. He listened intently and promised to carry out a review and that nothing would happen until it was finished. We have now been told that a decision has been made and the nursing home will close in May which contradicts the promise he made to the delegation. Who is telling the truth? Is it his Department or HSE Galway west? What is happening to the nursing home?