Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree that we need a debate on the health services, if for no other reason than to give people some comfort by letting them know there is at least a plan and efforts are being made. I encourage the Leader to arrange for the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, to come to the House at the earliest opportunity and go through the contingency plans in place to deal with the winter upsurge in the numbers of people availing of accident and emergency services. It is very regrettable that our fantastic nurses throughout the country feel they have no option but to take industrial action. I call on the Minister to engage with the nursing organisations to see if common ground can be reached to prevent this action. I know the Minister has significant good faith in the area and he is extraordinarily committed to resolving the issue. He has told me that directly.

It is also a pity that midwives and nurses in the maternity hospital in Limerick have felt it necessary to go on strike as well because of an absolute starvation of resources. Their industrial action will be on 27 November. Again I call on all parties, including the HSE and the Minister, if necessary, to engage and try to provide extra midwives. I know ten more will be appointed, if they have not yet been appointed, but that is clearly not enough. I have been in and out of the maternity hospital in Limerick, visiting friends with children on numerous occasions in recent years, and the staff is doing phenomenal work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

This House has a role to play in engaging in discourse to encourage the finding of a path to resolution of these problems which affect citizens who find themselves unwell. I encourage the Leader to facilitate such a debate with the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, at the earliest possible opportunity.