James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On Senator Conway's suggestion, Young Fine Gael ran a campaign for reusable plastic cups for coffee etc. It advocated a 25 cent charge to raise awareness of the damage plastic does to our environment. We have all seen the television programmes showing thousands of tonnes of plastic in the sea, as well as whales and other sea mammals opened up with plastic inside them.

This morning, The Irish Timeshad an article on the national development plan and the need for day hospitals. I have raised this issue here before, specifically concerning the north Dublin area. Swords, near the M50, would be an ideal location for such a hospital because it can serve not just north Dublin city but the whole of Dublin. The national development plan also contains a proposal for metro north which could link such a hospital to our public transport system in a meaningful way.

Day hospitals are a real tool to allow us address the long waiting times for health care. The beds are available when the patient comes to use them. There is no accident and emergency facility, meaning nobody is admitted the night before to the bed for the patient who needs a procedure. Procedures for hernias, gall bladders, plastic surgery, cataracts and so forth can all be done in day hospitals. There are examples of many of these procedures being done in model three hospitals, such as Nenagh, St. John's Hospital in Limerick, Louth County Hospital and many others. It brings the service more available to the patient in a much more calm and settled environment and is successful.

We need at least two such hospitals in Dublin as one third of the population of the country resides here. I appeal to the Government and the Minister for Health to consider putting in two such hospitals in Dublin.