Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too pay tribute to Senator Martin McAleese. I got to know him long before we were nominated to the Seanad by the Taoiseach. We spent many an hour running around the Phoenix Park when he lived in Áras an Uachtaráin. I found him to be an honourable and decent gentleman who had time, respect and compassion for everybody who came to be in his company. He may have been a man of few words but when he spoke we all listened to him very carefully. We listened to his analysis and to his wisdom. More important, the trust he was able to build up with the people was proven through the peace process and the building of bridges in Northern Ireland. I have no doubt that he will have left no stone unturned when we read the report on the Magdalen laundries.

Last week I spent an evening in New York at a fundraising event for Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin where a considerable amount was raised. Those in attendance at the dinner asked ask why I would come to America and New York to raise funds for the hospital. The answer is that ¤8 million is needed to fix the new cardiac wards at the hospital. Some ¤5 million is needed annually to continue the children's medical research that is world renowned. It was sickening on returning home to find out yesterday that between Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin and Temple Street Children's Hospital approximately ¤5 million has been cut from their budgets this year. Some 180,000 children annually go through the hospital in Crumlin suffering from cancer, leukaemia, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida and so on. We have been speaking about the new national paediatric hospital for the past eight years and it will probably be another eight years before it is built. We do not even have planning permission for the new paediatric hospital which has now been assigned to the James's Street site. I call on the Leader, on behalf of the children and their parents who are wondering why in God's name the Department is cutting ¤5 million from its budget, for an explanation of and the justification for these cuts.