Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I must oppose the late sitting because it is the only mechanism available to me to ask the Taoiseach to explain why he switched the Health Bill and the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill. The Government has been promising the Health Bill for 18 months. It is supposed to provide for major reform of the health service. The Bill was published on Friday, most Deputies will have received it in their pigeon holes yesterday and it has been brought forward from Wednesday to Tuesday. Why is that happening?

The Minister for Health and Children, when she was on this side of the House, would have worked herself up into incredible lucidity if this kind of thing had happened. She is now bringing forward yellow pack medical cards. Patients will soon be expected to make do with half a bed; or will the Minister put two patients into one bed? This Bill is her major effort. She is the one who pledged that there should be two weeks between publication of a Bill and its being debated in the House. Why the change?

The first schedule for this week had the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill for debate today, on which there would have been a number of votes. That schedule was agreed by the Whips at the Whips' meeting. Then, without any notice, the Government changed the schedule to bring forward the Health Bill, on which there will not be any vote. The least the House is entitled to know is why the Government made that change and why one of the most major pieces of legislation being advanced by the Government, on its own claim, is to be guillotined on Friday.

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