St Brigid's hospital meeting
Deputy McGrath complained that promised meetings with the St. Brigid’s hospital action group had not happened and said local representatives had been brushed off. The Taoiseach said he would check the request again, the Minister of State had met the group, and the exchange ended with disagreement over what had occurred.
The Taoiseach promised numerous times in this Chamber and in the convention centre that he would meet the action group for St. Brigid's hospital in Carrick-on-Suir, which his Minister closed unceremoniously in the middle of the so-called pandemic. Will the Taoiseach meet those people or why does he keep telling us that he will? It is a simple request to meet the committee and the Taoiseach said he had no problem meeting them. He said he would meet them at the drop of a hat. He has never met the committee and neither has the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, nor the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Deputy Butler. These people want to plead their case for the wonderful facility they had, including four hospice beds that are badly needed for the community.
It has served the area of east Waterford, south Kilkenny and south Tipperary well. That hospital needs to be reopened. Will the Taoiseach meet the committee? There is no point in the Taoiseach telling me that he will. I ask him to arrange to meet them, to facilitate them and to listen to them.
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Outside in the glass cage for a few minutes.