Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

We all make mistakes but democratic accountability in this House corrected the mistake in respect of charges being illegally levied on older people in nursing homes and other State institutions.

Is it not the case that whatever about the success of the strategic management initiative, enormous cost overruns are being identified throughout the entire Civil Service every year by the Comptroller and Auditor General? The over-70s medical card is a good example where the Department underestimated by 66% the cost of the scheme. The Secretary General of the Department may well say that he did not get any political notice of the decision to introduce that card. When the Taoiseach says that the Departments work under great day-to-day pressure, I am sure that is true.

See this speech in context