Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the families of the bereaved ex-Members. I did not know Dick Barry personally but I certainly know Myra Barry. As a Munster colleague, I found her to be an exceptionally good and forward-thinking politician. I express my sympathy to the Blaney family on the death of Harry Blaney, particularly to his sons Niall, a loyal former Deputy, and Liam, a county councillor in Donegal. There always has been a strong family connection between the Blaney family and my home town of Listowel for reasons that are too complex to go into. It has much to do with their holidays. I take this opportunity to extend the sympathy of the community in Listowel to the Blaney family.

I previously raised the absence of Parkinson's disease-trained nurses in the south. Articles published at the weekend prompt me to repeat my call for the Minister for Health to come to the House to discuss a clear inequity in the system whereby Parkinson's disease-trained nurses are found in the west, north and, naturally, Dublin but not in the greater Munster area where a very prominent neurologist described what we are facing as akin to an epidemic because the number of patients with Parkinson's disease will double in the next ten years due to the aging population.

I also wish to touch on the imminent publication of the Government's position on dealing with the X case. I welcome the fact that it has finally agreed the heads of a Bill we can examine. I hope it will be debated at an early stage, as Senator Mullen requested - even at heads of Bill stage. I also express the hope that the debate will be conducted in a very gentlemanly or ladylike and proper manner. I have never commented on this before. There has been so much pre-emptive debate on this issue in the past six months and very strong voices on both sides of the argument have been heard. I respect the rights and opinions of those people but there are many other people whose opinions have not been heard. There is a middle ground somewhere. My parliamentary party will discuss it and I will make known my views known there. Let everyone have a fair share. Nobody will be bullied in a debate no matter what side they are on. We all have minds of our own and have all had to do our thinking for ourselves. It is very difficult but I hope the debate will be conducted in the manner I outlined.