Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It would be helpful to invite the Minister for Health to come to the House to explain and clarify his position on primary care centres once and for all. Ten days ago I was shocked to read on the front page of The Irish Times that Oranmore, where I live, was bumped off the list of primary health care centres. I sought an explanation for it and have been told that it was due to a lease, etc. Whatever it is, we need to know the facts. We need to hear the clear facts. We need transparency and we need to move on. We need to source ways to fund primary health care centres. We also need them to be located around the country if we are to move care provided by hospitals to the community. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange the debate in the interests of transparency and moving on.

Today is budget day but I was delighted to read one good news story in The Irish Times on The Ireland Funds. I do not know if many Senators have read it. The organisation set up a young leaders programme to encourage people between the ages of 25 and 40 years to get involved in philanthropy. All of the facts show that this is the age group that has been most tackled and challenged by the recession. There are 500 young leaders in the country who have risen to the challenge and raised over ¤1 million this year alone. They thought of others and have given back. These are terrible times and we are experiencing doom and gloom yet there is so much positivity in our world. We need to bring positivity into the House more often.

I will finish on the following. I have asked the Leader to organise a public consultation on Change Nation and he agreed to do so. The meeting would bring solution makers to Ireland. Some of them attended a large conference here last year and earlier this year. I want us to invite them to the House to share some of their solutions with us, and ones that can solve our problems in terms of health and the economy. When will it happen?