I very much regret the fact that Fianna Fáil Members and other Opposition spokespersons are continuing to scaremonger with regard to maternity services and the national review that is taking place.

The Senator is out of touch.

The Minister could not have been clearer in the contribution he made to the House. I very much welcome the fact that yesterday he confirmed, beyond doubt-----

We are not discussing yesterday's business today.

-----that there was no threat to maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital and that the services there would grow, be enhanced and further funded.

I also welcome the announcement yesterday of a framework agreement between the Minister for Health and the IMO which sets out a process for engagement concerning the GMS GP contract and other publicly funded contracts involving GPs. The framework agreement sets out a proposed process for engagement on all aspects of the GMS contract with GPs, with due regard to the IMO's role as a representative body of medical practitioners. That is a very welcome development because there seems to have been a log-jam prior to this.

On International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, I ask the House to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who lost their lives in the cause of peace and to pay tribute to all of the men and women who have served and who continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations and to acknowledge their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage. Ireland has approximately 400 Defence Forces personnel serving on 13 missions throughout the world. It would be appropriate at some time in the future for the Leader to organise a discussion with the Minister for Defence on our peacekeeping missions abroad in order that all Members of the House would have a full understanding of the role of our peacekeepers.

Statistically, this is the most dangerous weekend on the roads. I appeal to all road users to exercise great care in order that no family will get that awful knock on the door, informing them a loved one has lost his or her life. It is incumbent on all of us to highlight the need for increased road safety and ensure the number of deaths on the roads is kept to an absolute minimum this year.

I endorse my colleague’s observations about this weekend’s traffic and thank An Garda Síochána for launching a go slow campaign on the roads day tomorrow. This bank holiday weekend is the one in the year in which, proportionally, most people lose their lives on the roads. Perhaps it is because of the feeling it is the start of summer. The Garda will encourage the go slow tomorrow and enforce traffic regulations.

Why has Fianna Fáil so much difficulty with the review of national maternity services, given it was the party which drove-----

We do not want our hospitals closed.

May I finish? I have not even started and you are interrupting me.

Senator Susan O’Keeffe to continue, without interruption.

Freedom of speech.

Fianna Fáil had immense difficulties in bringing in the national cancer programme and eight centres of excellence, which caused enormous difficulty, particularly in the north west, because it meant services could not be delivered in the way they had in the past. At the time, it relied on the best medical advice available not just in Ireland but across the world. I would have thought Fianna Fáil would have been the first in the queue to congratulate the Minister for Health, his Department and the Health Service Executive for wanting to have a review of maternity services in this country so as to improve them, not reduce them. I would have expected Members opposite, considering the more complex world in which we live and the way medical services are provided, would want to ensure we have a first-class maternity service, as we have had in the past. That is what I believe will come from this national maternity service review. I urge Fianna Fáil to stop encouraging a conversation which is scaremongering. By all means have the conversation about how this review might succeed in providing the best service and care for the women of this country and their babies rather than scaremongering.

I endorse my colleagues’ call for the new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Charles Flanagan, to attend the House for a debate on crèches.

Yesterday, the Minister for Health clarified the position on the review of maternity services in the west. I remind my colleagues across the floor of the House that in 2003 the then Government produced a report stating that by 2009 there would be 179 consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology.

We did not close any maternity hospital.

Senator Colm Burke to continue, without interruption.

It is all obfuscation.

The Members opposite did absolutely nothing when there was plenty of money coming in to the Revenue Commissioners and the Exchequer. By 2010, there were 125 obstetrician consultants, 60 short of what Fianna Fáil set out in its 2003 target. Will Fianna Fáil Members please stop giving out false information?

It is not false information.

Those targets were from 11 years ago. What about now?

Please, Senators. Senator Colm Burke to continue, without interruption. Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

We did not take the medical card from people.

Being involved in the legal profession, for anyone to produce a draft report like the one in question, I actually believe they have no knowledge of what is going on in the maternity services. It is a disgrace that someone drafted such a report without knowing what is going on in maternity services. I am referring particularly to litigation in the maternity services which is an area that needs to be addressed. It is important we have a debate on this matter. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board was established for personal injuries suffered in car accidents but nothing has been done for negligence claims in medical services. It is time we examined this whole area of lump sums being paid out when we should examine the Canadian model.

Comhairle na nÓg attended the health committee for a discussion on youth services this morning. There are 48 youth services providing services for 382,000 young people. This issue has not been debated in the House. It would be appropriate to have a debate to see how we can further develop and enhance these services. Many people work on a voluntary basis in the organisations in question.

Is the Senator looking for a debate on the issue?

Yes, it would be appropriate to have a debate on it.