Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail)

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I agree with Senator Norris on the matter to which he referred.

I wish to raise a very serious matter referred to by Mr. Justice Peter Kelly in the High Court, namely, the retention and recruitment of doctors in our hospitals. He said that the standard of doctors being recruited to hospitals in Ireland is particularly low and the case before him, whereby a doctor was struck off the register, was not an isolated incident. Clearly, this is a very serious patient safety issue. The judge said that he was going to refer the matter to the Minister for Health and the HSE. We cannot have a situation where doctors recruited have inadequate skills and experience and are let loose on the public. It is simply criminal. I hope that the Minister will come to the House to discuss the recruitment and retention of doctors.

I also wish to raise the matter of the contents of a recent "RTE Investigates" programme entitled, Troublemakers, which highlighted the case of the Fitzgerald family. Mr. Patrick Fitzgerald was not allowed to visit his wife when he wished. His visits were restricted to certain times. All of us have had family members in hospital, nursing homes or hospices at some point. The severe restriction on visiting hours, as highlighted in the programme, is harsh and cruel. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I were in the same position as Mr. Fitzgerald, unable to visit a loved one in a nursing home or hospice. I understand that the HSE has yet to contact all the families featured in the documentary. Again, I ask that the Minister of Health would come to the House to discuss these issues.

The last issue I wish to raise is a particular problem in urban areas and is a pet hate of mine, namely, people parking on footpaths. This often means that people using wheelchairs or other walking aids or those pushing buggies cannot get around the cars and are forced to go out onto the road. It is a growing problem in cities and stems from a lack of awareness. People need to be cognisant of the fact that if they park on a footpath, they must leave sufficient space for wheelchairs, buggies or other walking devices. It is very unfair and dangerous not to do so and drivers need to be more thoughtful when parking their cars.