We will propose an amendment to the Order of Business with regard to the reports in The Sunday Business Post on emergency departments. An interesting fact has emerged to the effect that, following over 20 years of reports and consultants being asked to consider issues on behalf of different ministries in the United Kingdom, no report disagreed with the British Government's position.

It is an amazing statistic when one thinks about it. I am sure the statistic would not be much different in Ireland, but as Mark Twain pointed out, "Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable." The facts of the report from the trauma steering group which was set up by then Minister for Health, the current Minister for Social Protection and by all accounts the future leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Leo Varadkar, are that the nine emergency departments in Cavan, Naas, Portiuncula, Kilkenny, Mullingar, Clonmel, Cork Mercy and Portlaoise hospitals would be shut down and their patients moved, with any future patient, into an already overcrowded and chaotic emergency department system.

It must be borne in mind there is a lack of joined-up thinking. Currently, some of these hospitals are actually advertising for consultants for their emergency departments at the same time as a steering group is proposing that these very departments be shut down. Would a consultant, in all seriousness, take up a post when a death notice is being served on these departments and with 400 trolleys plus per day already in the system of emergency departments? That is why we are pushing for an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister come to the House today to discuss this issue and the state of the chaotic health system.

From start to finish, emergency departments and the emergency ambulance service around the State - the Leader will be aware of the position in counties Cork and Kerry - are hugely underfunded. People are not receiving the emergency treatment they require in time and, therefore, spend longer in hospital, spend more time in recovery and tie up more beds in the long term. The report, although shocking, is a great credit to The Sunday Business Post in highlighting the fact that a bad situation is being made chaotic. The chances of people taking up posts in the nine hospitals, the emergency departments of which have been earmarked for closure, will make the situation virtually impossible to rectify. The report will cause chaos in the emergency departments in the hospitals I have outlined.

I seek leave from the House to propose an amendment to the Order of Business to allow No. 18 to be introduced. It is the National Anthem Protection of Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill to allow for-----

On a point of procedure, I understand only one amendment can be proposed. The Senator cannot propose two amendments to the Order of Business.

I will let my colleagues propose the amendment concerning the national anthem. I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business in order to have the Minister for Health come to the House to discuss the report of the steering group on the closure of nine emergency departments.

I invite Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell to contribute.

Pardon.

I take it the Senator is the leader of the group?

My apologies, unused as I am to having this great leadership position.