Senator Bacik asks for Debate on Reconfiguration of Local Hospitals, and for Debate on Eco-Transport
28 June 2011
Order of Business
28th June 2011
Senator Ivana Bacik: I support calls by Senators Kelly and Harte for a debate on the reconfiguration of local hospitals and for the Minister for Health to appear before the House. It is an important debate Members should be having on the balance that must be struck between the creation of centres of excellence and the need to ensure access to local services in different areas. I am struck by what Senator Zappone said about the need to ensure social wealth and social sovereignty. We need to ensure that we support local communities as best we can, even though we are in a very difficult economic climate. It would be useful also to have the Minister for Health in the House to debate the future plans for the health service. Perhaps the most exciting and radical proposal in the programme for Government concerning health is the plan to introduce universal health insurance. There have been debates in the media on this subject in recent weeks and it would be very useful to have a debate in the House on how best to ensure universal access to health care as in the programme for Government and to hear directly from the Minister as to how he proposes to build to its introduction over the lifetime of the Government.
I also ask for a debate on the environment and on eco-transport in particular. During national bike week it is useful that we would debate the need to ensure a reduction in carbon emissions, greater reliance on bicycle and on methods of transport that do not increase our level of emissions. We must look to the younger generation who are taking a lead in this regard. I was in Holly Park national school in Newtownpark avenue this morning. The school has just won its third green flag for water conservation and is working for a fourth flag for eco-transport. There is great interest in the green flag scheme across the country as everyone will be aware, with more than 2,000 schools obtaining green flags. There is a great interest among schoolchildren and students generally on the greater use of bicycles and eco-friendly transport and this House should lead on this subject.