Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to promote the credentials of our young candidate, Councillor Paddy McNamara, who was elected at the top of the poll in his area. He is a lecturer dedicated to public service. The only reason the Government parties did not make their minds up until this morning is that they did not want to confront the people, given their experience on the last occasion. It is entirely bogus to send Ministers and Ministers of State out to say they do not want the election because it would disrupt the business of the Dáil. The Taoiseach has just scampered off; he disrupts the business of the Dáil at will. If he had his way, he would close it down entirely. The number of days the Dáil sits was never fewer, and now we find that an extra week has been added to the Easter recess, for no reason that we have been told. There was no consultation between Whips on the issue. The Government simply went ahead and did it.

It is entirely spurious to say a by-election would disrupt the legislative programme of the Dáil. It would do nothing of the kind, and Ministers know that. The reason is that people want to talk to the Government about prices, hospitals, medical cards, child care and transport. It is all very well for the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, to say the boom has created significant extra jobs, as it has for a dozen years. There are more people at work, but they cannot get there.

We get a fantasy package from the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Callely, who claims we are to invest €10 billion. It reminds me of what happened at Ballymascanlon before the general election. The then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, announced a package of €7.7 billion for the health services. Not only did that never happen; the much-extolled Minister for Finance, former Deputy McCreevy, had written to the same Minister three weeks before to say that there was no question of any additional funding being made available. That letter was subsequently published in the national news media.

The last time I heard of Deputy Callely being busy was when he announced at Christmas that he had intervened with National Toll Roads to stop the 20% increase on the toll bridge. I came over it last night and paid the extra 20%. If Deputy Callely has the same success in delivering the upgrade and investment needed for transport to Kildare, I am afraid the outlook for the county's hard-pressed commuters is very bleak.

I will resume my seat in favour of my colleague, Deputy Stagg. The one thing the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has said that she is standing by is the Hanly report. I know there is collective amnesia on the Government benches about it, but the people of Kildare should know that if the Minister for Health and Children is standing by it and the Fianna Fáil Ministers are standing by her — I do not want to make that presumption — the accident and emergency department in Naas is gone. The people of Kildare should know that. I will return to the question.

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