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Donegal North East
election candidate Cecilia Keaveney has said she is
glad to see Sinn Fein finally "walking the walk"
rather than simply "talking the talk" about cross
border co-operation.
Her comments come after the North's Deputy First
Minister, Martin McGuinness said the Assembly would
make cancer services in the North West a priority.
"I certainly welcome the fact that the Assembly is
up and running again and the parties there can
engage in real politics about policies and delivery.
"However, North South co-operation is not a new
concept since the re-establishment of the
Executive," she said.
"It has been alive and well for some time in many
areas such as education, with funding towards fees
for further education in the North; access and
infrastructure, with €580 million committed to roads
from Dublin to Derry and the investment in the City
of Derry Airport and the subsidy of the Derry to
Dublin flight which I have worked on to put back in
operation."
She said the Hollywood report on radiation oncology
services supported the concept of cross-border
co-operation between the Cancer Centre in Belfast
and the North West area.
"The option for Donegal patients to avail of
radiotherapy in Belfast has been in place since
November 1st, 2006 as well as a pilot cross-border
GP out-of-hours service, which I fully supported,
that was launched in January 2007. Co-operation on
ENT services has also been ongoing for some time."
She added: "Cross-border co-operation is not a
concept that has been launched by Sinn Fein despite
what they like to believe and tell themselves.
"While they have been talking about it, we in Fianna
Fail have been delivering upon it."
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