Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

For the past eight years the Government has been promising that something might work. In spite of the ten-point initiative, announced with great fanfare by the Tánaiste and greeted by the media, which alluded to her unparalleled courage in taking on this problem, nothing has changed. The problem ought to be considerably less acute at this time of the year than it is. Not even the publication of the capital programme has been managed by the Tánaiste. She is locked in combat with the Department of Finance regarding its publication, which has been promised week after week. Meanwhile, real, live patients are enduring acute stress and distress under circumstances in accident and emergency units that would not be tolerated in any advanced country in the western world. The Taoiseach tells us after eight years in Government what he might do about it.

It is clear the Tánaiste allowed herself to be talked into doing a job by her party for which it appears she does not have the competence. Her having spent too long talking to American chief executives lead her to believe that all she had to do was enter the Department of Health and Children and exercise a certain managerial competence for it all to fall into place. It has not fallen into place but into ruin and decline in certain acute areas of the health service. There is no hope in prospect. I ask the Taoiseach again whether he will respond to the INO's request for him to intervene personally.

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