Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Craughwell raised cross-Border health issues, for example, charging people who present at an emergency department in Enniskillen. There has been a great deal of co-operation in terms of health and I understand that, in recent years, 53,000 people have been treated in this way. If there are irregularities, though, they must be addressed.

An air ambulance based in Athlone has saved many lives in rural areas in the west and midlands. There is now an air ambulance service based out of the former Maze Prison. We need further co-operation, North and South, to cover areas in need. I look forward to the Departments doing that.

Senator Gavan was right about the call. I watched the conference on a united Ireland with interest. When I chaired the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and also while I chaired the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, I used the term "united Ireland" constantly. However, while I will not call it offensive, some people from another tradition are wary of a united Ireland. I noticed how, when stepping down, Mr. Martin McGuinness called for "Irish unity". It is a much better phrase. I would like to use the phrase "one Ireland" or "an Ireland together". Either way, I agree that a debate is necessary. This is not just a North-South matter, but an east-west one as well.

I come from the tradition of Dr. Garret FitzGerald, the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement. The island of Ireland has taken significant steps, but all sides, including the co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement - the British and Irish Governments - need to be involved. I welcome Senator Gavan's helpful submission.