Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I accept I am in a privileged position in terms of the office I hold. I am constantly aware of the solemn responsibility I have in discharging it. As to what I said about health, I never said that health did not need more money. While answering the questions Deputy Bailey put to me, I acknowledged the Department of Health will need more money next year, and I outlined some of the reasons. More than €15 billion in funding is going into the HSE and the Department at present. It is the highest level of funding they have received. By metrics provided by the OECD, it is one of the higher levels in the world per capita. Within that, I hope and expect that choices can be made to deal with the kind of issues to which the Deputy is referring. The Mater Hospital is in my constituency, Connolly hospital is down the road from me and Beaumont hospital is near my constituency. I am keenly aware of the kind of pressures and issues with which they deal and the worries citizens face if they feel they cannot get into their health service. I try to respond to that by making as much funding available to the health service as I reasonably can, inside the constraints of other choices.