Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The early word from Ashbourne seems to indicate that our colleague, Senator Thomas Byrne, has exceeded 30% of the poll. It is a great performance by him and our party. Without conceding anything, it looks like the Fine Gael candidate, Ms Helen McEntee, will also be successful and nobody on this side of the House begrudges her success.

Members may have watched a programme aired on television during the week on the chronic lack of nurses who specialise in the care of sufferers of Parkinson's disease in the south.