Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

I welcome this motion and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on it. Yesterday, my colleague, Deputy Gormley, highlighted the Green Party's position. I am not the party's spokesperson for health but I wish to comment particularly about my constituency, given that the Tánaiste and new Minister for Health and Children represents the same constituency.

I have long argued that the treatment purchase fund will be a waste of money in the long term. It would be much better to improve our own health care service. The motion calls for immediate action to address the ongoing, continuous crisis in hospital accident and emergency units. If one is trying to save money, one does not farm it out to Germany, the North or other countries. The way to do it is to think outside the box and use a bit of cop-on.

I was playing football last night.

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