Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other Members, I congratulate the Irish ladies' team on its fantastic success last night. I was, however, very disappointed by videos that surfaced late last night and this morning of the chants of "Ooh, ah, up the 'RA". Senator McGahon has talked about projects to build co-operation in our country, and we have our shared island unit. What happened was not appropriate on what was a fantastic night for Irish sport. A very strong statement on it needs to come out from the FAI. It really took the gloss off the victory for me.

I wish to speak about palliative care beds, an issue I have raised in the House before, and the fact we have just one palliative care bed in St. Joseph's Care Centre, Longford. I have given figures before of numerous families' loved ones passing away in an acute hospital or in a bed in a home in another county. That is not acceptable. We have been fighting with the HSE over recent years for just one additional bed. I want the Minister for Health to come into the House and give us a positive answer to that query. Only in the past week I had a case in which an elderly man in his 80s was not able to come back to his own county and his elderly wife was not able to travel to visit him. It is not acceptable. We have put investments into Tullamore and now a regional 16-bed unit, but the major population areas in my constituency, which are Mullingar, Athlone and Longford, need sufficient numbers of beds also. It is only right we give that right to the families of people coming to the ends of their lives.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, for her announcement in the past half hour on the community centres fund. She is a very proactive Minister, especially for us in rural Ireland. The fund is a fantastic initiative. A significant number of projects have been funded, with more funding to come. I just hope that, before the year is out, additional funding will be put in to look after the larger infrastructure projects that are needed and that for centuries have been at the heart of all our communities.