Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

Is the Minister aware of how bad the situation has got? There were 34 people, an unprecedented number, on trolleys at the University College Hospital in Galway last night, even though 68 beds in the hospital were closed. Although the Minister visited the hospital recently, I am not convinced that she is aware of the real situation in Galway. It is symptomatic of the real and persisting accident and emergency crisis, which has led a nursing organisation to decide to embark on a series of protests. There are serious problems in Wexford and an accident and emergency consultant in Cork has described the conditions there as "total bedlam". Following the response of the Minister, who is full of good intentions, the Irish Nurses Organisation has declared that there is "a terrible inertia" again.

The Minister made it clear many months ago when she made her initial announcement that real improvements would be evident by this month, or by April at the latest, but we have not seen any significant changes. We are seeing the same pattern of chronic overload in accident and emergency departments. People in Galway have threatened to close the service altogether.

The Minister mentioned the war zone in Sarajevo, and the term "walking wounded" has been used by the medical profession, rather than by politicians, when discussing the accident and emergency crisis. The walking wounded are being turned away from accident and emergency units because more severe emergency cases have to be treated. The Minister has not delivered on the commitments she made when she came to the Department of Health and Children. Ten-point plans are all very well, but the product has not been delivered. The crisis is being prolonged unnecessarily, even though it should be abating now that the winter period is over.

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