Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is a very specific issue. Somebody in the Minister's position will some day have to face it down. I hope that in future years we will deal with the accident and emergency crisis across the country. There are many aspects to it. However, in the short term, this is one way of helping to alleviate it. I understand all the scheduled procedures and the use of the treatment purchase funds. If we have a bad winter, they will not help the volume of people ending up in accident and emergency departments. Will the Minister please sit down and speak with those people in order to rent or otherwise use or take over their facilities in a crisis? It would be immoral to allow those facilities to lie idle or if these people believe it is okay to discriminate and say they want people who can afford to pay to go into an emergency theatre while 100 yd. up the road, there are people queuing out the door.