Ms Susan Clyne:

The IMO warned that if those cutbacks were put upon our health service, we would face decades of crisis afterwards and that is what has happened. Even during that time, there was never a recruitment embargo on doctors. We have gone a step further this time. Of course, we accept that the Government had the right and had been voted into power to make policy decisions and choices and budgetary considerations. However, if we are promising the public a public health service that will meet its needs, we must assess those needs and then have a service that has the facilities and staff to meet those needs. We need to be honest with people. Regarding the idea of black holes, I was around during those years and was in here presenting to committees during that time. So many efficiencies were identified during those years of cutbacks, austerity or whatever people choose to call it and most of those inefficient practices were taken out of the system. We cannot get away from the fact that we need more beds. We have been crying out for more beds. There was one period when a former chief executive of the HSE put in a plan that we needed fewer beds. It took a long time for Government to come round to the position that we need more beds. We have to accept that there are underlying systemic problems. It does not really matter how hard people work if those underlying systemic problems remain in place. A figure of 1,000 additional beds per year is not overly ambitious. Recruiting staff to staff those beds is not overly ambitious in the next five years but we have to put our best foot forward. However, it is costly. Healthcare is costly. Every country in the world is facing the realities of the cost of delivering healthcare but this country, the system and the Dáil have committed to Sláintecare, which is a free health service. That free health service has to be built to deliver the care we have told people they can avail of.