Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Not at all. I take the Senator’s point. I wanted to set out in the first instance the position of the Government and the Department as to where they are at. Of course, the comments the Senator made and her presentation will be taken into consideration by the Department and the Government. She identified that there are practical issues on the ground in nearly every constituency. It takes time to get a doctor’s appointment. The Government, in a holistic way, is looking at the evolution of GP services and trying to ensure the gaps and pressures are eased into the future. In a holistic perspective in the roll-out in services to Meath, that growing population is factor, and it is being worked on by the Government.

I thank the Senator for raising these issues. They will be communicated back to the Minister and the Department. I hope that at some point in the future she will be back here reflecting, it is to be hoped, on a positive outcome. If it is not to her satisfaction, she will be more than well able to raise the issue again. We thank her for her presentation today.