Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the decision made by the Joint Committee on Health and Children to visit the centre which deals with medical cards this morning. Like everyone else in this and the other House, as public representatives, we are not at all satisfied with what has happened and the way people have been treated. There has been a bizarre policy decision that directed that strange telephone calls be made and medical cards be removed. I welcome the committee's intervention in the matter and trust that we will see a speedy fix. The Minister for Health, while working very hard, needs to work harder on this matter because what has happened is certainly not satisfactory. As a public representative, I am not happy and my views are shared by many Members on all sides of the House.

I take the opportunity to welcome the announcement made on Tuesday by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.on the allocation of €22 million for commemorative projects of national importance. Much of the money is capital funding. The projects will mainly be in Dublin, including Kilmainham courthouse and gaol, the National Concert Hall and the National Archives. It is very welcome expenditure with a view to commemorating events in 2016.

I also welcome the announcement by the Government that the project Yeats 2015 will proceed next year to commemorate the birth of William Butler Yeats 150 years ago. It is a project in which others and I have invested time and energy because it presents an opportunity to showcase Ireland's cultural wealth and heritage. We can do this through the voice of William Butler Yeats who believed in finding a voice for the Irish nation at the turn of the 20th century. In particular, I commend the Western Development Commission for its support of the project led by its chairman, Mr. Paddy McGuinness.

The Western Development Commission has spent considerable effort encouraging the creative industries of the west and it is its stated intention to continue supporting the creative industries in the region. It is doing so in collaboration with other regions, including in Sweden. The Western Development Commission now has a website mycreativeedge.eu. That aspect of western life on the western seaboard, attracting people who are inspired by living there into the creative industries, is something I support, as do most people. The project, Yeats 2015, gives a further opportunity to showcase the activity, work and creative skills that those who live there are lucky to enjoy. It is more than luck, as most people are earning a living from their creative talents. I trust and commit that Yeats 2015 will support these people and others. We will have an opportunity to showcase Ireland around the world across that year in a way that has not been done before. I commend the Minister on his assistance on the matter.