Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted colleagues are recognising the great work of our friend and colleague, Senator Mary Seery Kearney, on this legislation, which we would not have today but for the leadership she showed. It sometimes is down to having a person to knit everything together and show leadership. I commend the Senator. Hopefully, the legislation will pass through the Houses without many blips. That would be important.

I also welcome the news that Lisdoonvarna in County Clare is to have its GP service continued. It was a big controversy when the local GP who had given decades of service, Dr. Collins, announced that he was retiring.Thankfully, as a result of the great work and advocacy of Councillor Joe Garrihy and others, including me, the HSE is in a position to appoint a doctor, starting at the beginning of February. The news is even better. There is a graduate fellowship and, therefore, there is going to be a pilot scheme involving a graduate doctor based in Lisdoonvarna three days a week. That person has commenced the fellowship. It is a new programme completed funded by the HSE where a graduate doctor will engage with and work in a rural community. Hopefully, as a result of that person working in the local rural community, he or she might get to like rural life. It is an initiative that we have all sought for a long time, in particular through the health committee, when we had the colleges in and we engaged on rural doctors and GPs. The scheme is being piloted in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. I wish the graduate doctor who has commenced the programme the very best of luck. I have no doubt that person is going to find the north Clare, Lisdoonvarna and Doolin area a lovely place to live.