I wish to raise the disgraceful and diabolical decision to close St. Brigid's District Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir that was made on a whim yesterday morning. On 27 April, I raised this with the Tánaiste. I raised it in the House again on 1 July, 11 August and in September, October and November. At 7.20 p.m. on Sunday last, I got an email from Ms Barbara Murphy indicating that the HSE was considering reopening the hospital subject to the building being okay. That was the first time there was any question mark about the building. What kind of deceitful untruths - I would use a stronger term if I was allowed - were given to us? Councillor Kieran Bourke, a hard-working councillor who has worked on behalf of the town for years, as well as members of his family before him, came to Dublin and met the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, who promised him that the hospital would be reopened. I had commitments from the previous Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and from the current Minister that it would be reopened.

A hard-working local committee has been seeking to make sure that the hospital is reopened. The local community in Carrick-on-Suir, as well as the people of south Kilkenny, east Waterford and south Tipperary have raised funds to provide three hospice beds in the hospital. All of the staff in the hospital were exceptional, including the caterers, nurses and members of the palliative care team. There are only two other hospice beds in south Tipperary. These are located at a wonderful facility in Clogheen, 30 miles from Carrick-on-Suir. Where are people supposed to go? Is it a case of to hell or to Connaught?

It is outrageous that the HSE and the Department of Health could treat people like this. They are having a meeting this evening with local Deputies to tell us about it. We have replies in writing from them but we cannot believe a word they tell us. What a shameful way to behave. They closed the hospital under the auspices of Covid-19 initially, saying that they needed it and we accepted that. I do not think any patient went there for Covid step-down care but a huge number of patients have been denied step-down and recovery time because the hospital is closed to them. I know of patients who could not get access to the hospital and they died at home, supported by the hospice in Tipperary, which is excellent. This is shocking.

The hospital has been in Carrick-on-Suir since 1835 or 1840 and has served generations. Many townspeople were born in the hospital. The HSE and the Department should not treat people like this. There is a new primary care centre in front of the hospital which cost €10 million. Less than 50% of that centre is occupied but the HSE is telling us that it wants St. Brigid's hospital for community care. This is deceit and a blackguarding of the people of Carrick-on-Suir and surrounding districts. It will not be accepted by me, by the people on the hard-working committee to which I refer, namely, Ms Catherine Foley and Mr. Eddie Reade, or by Councillor Kieran Bourke, who met the Minister. What kind of politics or democratic system do we have when a Minister can tell a councillor, in writing and to his face, that a hospital will reopen and then he learns, summarily, that it is to close? Who is in charge of the HSE? It has too much power and has done so much damage. It was not fit to handle the Covid crisis and is not fit to handle anything. We lost Tipperary Community Hospital in 1987. We lost St. Michael's mental health beds under the so-called A Vision for Change but got nothing in return. We are lucky to have saved Clogheen and thanks are due to former councillor Mr. Con Donovan for that.

When we had health boards, we had accountability. Shockingly, there is no accountability in the HSE or the Department of Health regarding the money that has been spent on St. Brigid's. There is a new lift in the hospital. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, told me yesterday that there are no showers upstairs. but there are. The HSE and the Department are using HIQA now. They wheel out the vehicle of HIQA, which is not fit for purpose either, when they want to do damage, destroy a community and destroy a wonderful facility that is badly needed and that was fought for by the people. This will have far-reaching repercussions. We want the hospital kept open. This decision must be reversed immediately.

I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, about this earlier today and am happy to set out the current position to the House. St. Brigid's hospital is a short-stay unit with 16 beds, including three palliative, two respite and 11 convalescent beds. The HSE-operated activity at the hospital and the design and layout of the building are largely reflective of a small hospital from the time period in which it was built, namely, 1837. In March, admissions were suspended and the hospital was designated as a Covid-19 step-down facility. Arrangements were put in place for patients requiring convalescent, emergency respite and palliative care to be accommodated elsewhere in the HSE's services in south Tipperary.

With regard to St. Brigid's hospital and its infrastructure, having considered the current infection control advice, it is with regret that the decision has been made to discontinue short-stay services at St. Brigid's in Carrick-on-Suir. Unfortunately, I am advised by the HSE that it is no longer feasible nor sustainable to continue to operate St. Brigid's as a district hospital given the layout of the premises, the narrow hallways, inadequate space, the facilities available in the two five-bed wards and the risk of cross-infection. It is now proposed to use the premises as a base for the newly-created community healthcare network, CHN, in south Tipperary, along with serving as a base for members of a chronic disease management team, with a particular focus on diabetes. It is ideally located adjacent to the primary care centre and co-location of these buildings will enable integrated and multidisciplinary working. The repurposing of St. Brigid's will provide the HSE with the opportunity to develop community healthcare services in south Tipperary for the better, with a particular focus on the management of chronic diseases like diabetes.

That is a typical reply. It is waffle from the HSE. Why were we not told that in the email that I received last Sunday evening? The wonderful staff that were there have been deployed elsewhere because of Covid. They put their shoulders to the wheel in the belief that they would be sent back to St. Brigid's. The building might be old but it is in pristine condition, with a new wing added for the hospice some years ago. This building will still be standing when many of the prefabs and quick-build units the HSE is putting up are rotten and decaying. We want the people of Carrick-on-Suir to be able to use it. They are a proud people but they have gotten nothing but kicks from this Government. There are no factories and no support but they are not accepting this. I spoke to Ms Catherine Foley this morning who will be pushing a bed to Dublin next week, all the way from Carrick-on-Suir. She is one of the activists in the town and is a non-political person. Councillor Kieran Bourke will be fighting, might and main, as will I because this is wrong. Why did the Tánaiste stand up and read out balderdash from the HSE? He is supposed to be in charge, along with the Taoiseach. This is being hived off and HIQA is being blamed. HIQA is not fit for purpose. It gets wheeled out when the Government wants to do something disastrous. The dishonesty and deceit that has been perpetrated on public representatives and the people is shameful and that is why politics is the way it is in this country. All the Government wants is big jobs and powerful positions and to hell with the little people but the little people will rise up in the spirit of C.J. Kickham of Tipperary and will not accept this from the so-called coalition.

If there is one thing nobody would mistake Deputy Mattie McGrath for, it is a little person; he can be sure of that. We all recognise his stature.

On the questions raised, I am advised by the Minister and the Minister of State that there are currently no residents or patients in the hospital. They are all being catered for elsewhere in higher-quality, more modern accommodation. The staff have been redeployed and there have been no job losses. Following some minor works, seven whole-time equivalent staff members will initially be based at St. Brigid's, including a CHN network manager, an assistant director of public health nursing, a clinical nurse specialist in diabetes, a senior dietician, a staff dietician and two administrative staff. A podiatrist will also be providing in-reach services at St. Brigid's hospital. While it is regrettable that it is no longer feasible or sustainable to continue to operate St. Brigid's as a district hospital in the way it operated in the past, as part of the modernisation of our healthcare service, this building will be repurposed to provide chronic disease management and better diabetes care for many more people than are currently receiving it in south Tipperary and the south east more generally. Overall, this will represent an improvement in healthcare services in the area.