Vol. 231 Tuesday, No. 6 13 May 2014 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 13/05/2014A00100Business of Seanad 277 13/05/2014B00200Appointment of Minister and Minister of State 278 13/05/2014B00400Order of Business 278 13/05/2014D00600Visit of Kenyan Delegation 280 13/05/2014D00800Order of Business (Resumed) 280 13/05/2014R00200Seanad Electoral (Panel Members (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage 299 13/05/2014R00900State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Order for Second Stage 299 13/05/2014R01300State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Second Stage 299 13/05/2014JJ00500Abduction of Nigerian Children: Motion 322 13/05/2014OO01000Adjournment Matters ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������334 13/05/2014OO01100School Accommodation 334 13/05/2014PP00350Summer Works Scheme Applications 336 13/05/2014QQ00300Child Care Services Funding 337 13/05/2014RR00350Orthodontic Service Waiting Lists 341 SEANAD ÉIREANN Dé Máirt, 13 Bealtaine 2014 Tuesday, 13 May 2014 Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar 1430 pm Machnamh agus Paidir. Reflection and Prayer. 13/05/2014A00100Business of Seanad 13/05/2014B00100An Cathaoirleach: I have received notice from Senator Michael Comiskey that, on the mo- tion for the Adjournment of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to reconsider his refusal to allow Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré, Ballydoogan, Sligo, to expand from a one-stream school to a two- stream school I have also received notice from Senator Mary Moran of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to address the outdoor facilities and playground area in a school (details supplied) and to provide an update on upcoming fund- ing opportunities for this school I have also received notice from Senator Averil Power of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to intervene to ensure that funding is provided to Darndale Belcamp Integrated Childcare Service immediately to save this essential service which is facing the threat of closure within days due to cuts in State funding I have also received notice from Senator Martin Conway of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to intervene in the case of a teenage girl from County Clare (details supplied) who is waiting over five years for orthodontic treatment. I regard the matters raised by Senators Comiskey, Moran, Power and Conway as suitable for discussion on the Adjournment and they will be taken at the conclusion of business 277 Seanad Éireann 13/05/2014B00200Appointment of Minister and Minister of State 13/05/2014B00300An Cathaoirleach: A letter dated 8 May has been received from the Secretary to the Gov- ernment regarding the resignation and appointment of a Minister and the appointment of a Minister of State. The correspondence will be published in the official debate and the Journal of Proceedings 13/05/2014B00400Order of Business 13/05/2014B00500Senator Maurice Cummins: The Order of Business shall be No1, Shannon Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014, Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 345 pm and to be adjourned no later than 530 pm if not previously concluded, with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to ex- ceed five minutes; and No. 46(9), motion re abductions in Nigeria to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and to conclude no later than 6.30 p.m., with the contribution of all Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called on to reply no later than 628 pm 13/05/2014B00600Senator Marc MacSharry: I would like to propose an amendment to the Order of Busi- ness, the wording of which I will deal with towards the end of my contribution It will involve the Minister of Health coming to the House The Leader may remember that we on this side of the House raised on the Adjournment last February our concerns about speculation and rumours that a report was being circulated privately within the HSE on the dismantling of maternity ser- vices in the HSE west and north-west hospital group area I had information that a consultancy firm, Health Partnership, had prepared such a report for the HSE. I expressed my concern about the options considered, including the closure of a number of maternity units led by obstetricians throughout the country The Minister, Deputy Reilly, and I had a robust exchange in which he wanted to talk about the past but I wanted to discuss services in the future It has taken me some time to secure a copy of the Health Partnership report, marked “Strictly confidential,” which is in the hands of the HSE. What does it propose? It proposes to dismantle obstetric-led maternity services in the HSE west and north-west hospital group Yesterday, when the Taoiseach was in Sligo, he vowed there was no threat whatsoever to services, that all of these things would be decided in the future and there was nothing to worry about The people of Roscommon, Sligo and other counties know only too well that such a word is not so good One can understand the concerns of people in that area when the Taoiseach and others, including Tony Canavan, the chief operating officer of the Galway and Roscommon University Hospital Group, say that all these things are a matter for consideration and that no decisions have been made In the discussion on the Adjournment on 19 February 2014, the Minister said that when considering this issue the Government would have regard to national and not local concerns That was a bit different from the Taoiseach’s rhetoric on the news yesterday and Mr Canavan’s remarks today as reported in The Irish Times. Senator Mullins in particular would be interested to know that when asked about the existence of a report on 19 February, the HSE initially said that it did not exist, but later on the same morning it confirmed to a news agency that it did exist The report states: Option 4: Galway main hub 278 13 May 2014 - retain one satellite at Letterkenny - close the units at Portiuncula - close Mayo General Hospital - close Sligo General Hospital - merge with Galway and others (Mullingar and Portlaoise) Develop standalone midwife-led antenatal and postnatal clinics on hospital campuses What that means is that a midwife will look after the care of the woman in labour, and God knows, there are no better people who are more capable of doing an exceptionally good job in that regard. It is fine until something goes wrong. Let me give the example of my sister-in- law, who was in labour but in a matter of minutes needed a caesarean section What is the plan for Sligo when that happens to the pregnant mother in a delivery suite? Will an air ambulance swoop in, or will we use “Star Trek” technology to beam her to a centre, according to this pro- posal, in either Letterkenny or Galway? That would be comforting for somebody in Gurteen, County Sligo, or in Glencolmcille Option 5 considers no satellites at all - just a centre in Galway and midwife-led services throughout the country. I reiterate our belief and confidence in midwifery in this country, but the people of the west and north-west hospital group area have an entitlement to safe services equivalent to those available in other parts of the country They are entitled to consultant- obstetrician-led services It is reprehensible discrimination for the Government to be considering this, and also to be so cynical as to try to keep this report secret until after the election on Friday week We will have a vote today and we will see if the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, wants to debate the report that does not exist Senator Mullins was on radio yesterday saying there was nothing to worry about, but the report suggests that we close the maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital and Sligo Regional Hospital Let us have a debate on the proposed closure of these maternity services 13/05/2014C00200An Cathaoirleach: Will Senator MacSharry provide the wording of his proposed amend- ment? 13/05/2014D00100Senator Marc MacSharry: Let us have that debate this afternoon 13/05/2014D00200An Cathaoirleach: What is the Senator’s amendment? 13/05/2014D00300Senator Marc MacSharry: The amendment is in case it was not crystal clear from what I have outlined, that the Minister for Health comes to the House to debate the contents of the report which proposes to close maternity services in the Taoiseach’s constituency, in Senator Mullins’s constituency, in my constituency and in Donegal as well 13/05/2014D00400Senator Michael Mullins: More scaremongering 13/05/2014D00500Senator Ivana Bacik: I would like a debate on the Guerin report, which has been pub- lished since we last sat on Thursday and which many of us have had an