Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am grateful to the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to raise the condition of the limb fitting clinic at St. Finbarr's Hospital, Cork. I would like to paint a picture of 21st century Cork and Ireland in which a clinic for amputees is housed in a 29 year old prefabricated building where a wall panel is missing beside the wheelchair ramp; roof timbers are rotting leaving an exposed water tank; fascia boards in the front elevation of the building are rotting; windows cannot be opened because of gaps; blinds cannot be pulled down; the Xpelair is missing, with a bucket holding it in; and a suitable pedestrian access and dishing along the footpath approaching the building is lacking at a time when we boast about the fact that we are a modern progressive society.

I acknowledge the excellent work of the staff and volunteers in the clinic and, in particular, Bob Burns. He is a dedicated volunteer of no political hue, who has given of his time to make life better for those who attend the clinic. I visited the clinic and it is unacceptable that it is housed in a prefab. Every Tuesday, people of all ages from naught to 82 years and from all parts of Cork and Munster attend the clinic. The signage approaching it is insufficient, as is the pedestrian access. A canopy is required at the entrance. If one walked from one's car to the building's entrance in the middle of winter or, with our weather, summer, one would be wet and cold before entering it. The access issue must be addressed. Conditions are diabolical.

Should any society tolerate the lack of joined-up thinking by the Health Service Executive and the service providers? I compliment the staff working in the clinic, but the conditions of the building beggar belief. It is falling down, the timber is rotten, glass is falling out of windows and the breeze comes in the main door and elsewhere. I hope that the Minister of State will announce plans for a new building on the current location or at the Cork orthopaedic hospital. We have been covering up the lack of funding at the clinic, which is meant to serve those who have lost a limb and are readjusting to life as well as possible.

As public representatives, it behoves us to act as advocates on behalf of the people attending the clinic and the volunteers and staff working there. I invite the Minister for Health and Children to visit the clinic, if she has not done so already. Its state of disrepair is extraordinary. I am ashamed of the way in which the prefab has been allowed to become so dilapidated. Were it not for people like Mr. Burns, who has become an advocate and a mover in this regard, no repairs, maintenance or painting would have taken place. However, that is only papering over the cracks.

I have painted the picture. We must take care of the people in question. It is not good enough to state that plans are afoot or to use hyperbole suggestive of an outcome. The people from the eight counties attending the clinic deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. I hope that the Minister of State will detail a positive outcome.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Buttimer for placing this matter on the Adjournment, which I will take on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The Health Service Executive has advised that the limb-fitting service in St. Finbarr's Hospital falls under the remit of the acute hospital service, specifically the orthopaedic services provided by St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, part of the Cork University Hospital group. The limb-fitting clinic is held every second Tuesday at St. Finbarr's Hospital and approximately 22 to 25 clients attend each session. The clinic is run in a single storey building of modular lightweight timber construction, covering approximately 300 sq. m in area. The building was constructed approximately 30 years ago. Other services provided from the same building include a weekly footwear-fitting clinic and a community welfare clinic.

The building can be accessed either by steps or a wheelchair ramp. There are dedicated car parking spaces specifically for the building that are kept free for access, particularly during clinic times. There is also a dedicated set-down space for wheelchair users. Within the past year, new directional signs have been made to indicate the access and parking facilities more clearly for persons attending the limb-fitting clinic.

The interior of the building was redecorated two years ago and the roof covering has also been renewed in recent years. However, the HSE advises that the building has reached the end of its useful life and, given its age, work carried out on it in recent times has been for maintenance rather than improvement purposes. In light of these circumstances, the HSE advises that it has no plans to carry out further improvement work on the building.

As part of the ongoing reconfiguration of services within the southern hospitals group, the HSE has informed the Minister for Health and Children that it is examining the possibility of an alternative service delivery model in conjunction with the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. These discussions will involve the relocation of the limb-fitting clinic to an alternative site in Cork city. It is anticipated that these discussions will be concluded at the end of November.

The Minister for Health and Children and the HSE are committed to ensuring the best possible level of service for patients in the Cork area who require limb-fitting services. I will bring the Senator's comments to the Minister's attention.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. While I welcome the fact that a report will be made at the end of November, will the Minister of State convey to the Minister that, rather than having more committees and reports, we need action and a new building, given his statement to the effect that no more money is available to refurbish the building? I hope that we will have a new service.