Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with what Senator Craughwell said. I do not think I need to go into it any further. It raises a very serious issue. I believe there is accountability but I am very concerned about the way this issue has developed. The Tánaiste has given a full explanation and everything she has done in respect of this matter has been above board.

On another matter, I am frequently contacted by people who have had serious accidents, who are in hospital and who need to be transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. There is quite a long waiting list for that facility. I know there is work under way to replace the facility. It is, however, the only real rehabilitation centre in the country. I am aware that other hospitals have rehabilitation facilities, but the services they offer are not as comprehensive as those available in Dún Laoghaire. Over 20 years ago, it was proposed that a unit be built in Cork. For some reason, that was taken off the agenda. The last major hospital facility to be built in this country opened in 1998. Three are now being built in different areas of Dublin - the national children's hospital, the maternity hospital and the facility in Dún Laoghaire. There is, however, a need for a new rehabilitation centre to cover all of the Munster region. There would be a huge long-term cost saving to the health service because, while a person is waiting to be admitted to the Dún Laoghaire facility, he or she is occupying a hospital bed. That results in a huge cost to the State. The only way forward is to ensure that we have rehabilitation facilities available once a person has been stabilised in a hospital and once the hospital can do nothing further for the person other than wait for him or her to get into a rehabilitation facility. We need to draw the Minister's attention to this issue and we need to have it on the agenda in respect of the future planning of health services. In particular, it should form part of the ten-year plan.