Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

She should be here to listen to the debate and to give this serious matter the attention it deserves.

Everyone recognises that since the Tánaiste became Minister, the situation in accident and emergency departments has got considerably worse. Many people are on trolleys overnight and sometimes for up to 30 to 40 hours. At University College Hospital, Galway, the situation has got progressively worse since the Tánaiste took office. There has been much public relations, spin and ten point plans but no improvements in the health services. The illusion is being created by the Government and, indeed, the Tánaiste that there is no problem or that something is being done to solve it. However, nothing is being done about this intolerable situation and the service for patients has got considerably worse.

People are scared if they have to go into hospital. They are scared of being left on a trolley. Even if they are lucky enough to get a bed, they are scared of contracting the hospital bug which is being contracted by a large number of patients in many hospitals. Two Members of this House contracted the hospital bug in recent months after a short stay in hospital.

This is the situation we face. The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, who took on the job, has done nothing to alleviate people's fears. Lately, she has advocated putting more beds into wards to relieve people on trolleys. Nurses and doctors are already at their wits' end trying to cater for hospital patients. Recently, the businessman Ben Dunne made an offer on Joe Duffy's radio show to provide portacabins to relieve overcrowding in Dublin's hospitals. The solution is much easier than that. The last time I checked, 68 beds were left unused at University College Hospital Galway. More than 30 beds in St. Mary's ward and 20 beds in St. Finbar's ward were empty, as were eight beds in coronary care and St. Pius's ward as well as seven beds in St. Dominic's ward. I have checked on a regular basis and over the past year, an average of 60 beds have remained idle at University College Hospital Galway, while the intolerable situation continues with people on trolleys in the accident and emergency unit. I have called on the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to provide the necessary funds to have those beds commissioned. It would take the equivalent of 50 full-time staff to operate the University College Hospital Galway at its full capacity, which would relieve the situation.

Recently, I put down a question to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children about this matter. This is a tragedy and I am sorry the Minister is not present to hear this. She fobbed off my question. I asked her if she would commission approximately 50 full-time equivalent staff to open the beds at the University College Hospital. She replied that she established the Health Service Executive on 1 January, which has the responsibility to manage, deliver and arrange the beds and that she would pass the question on to it. She simply passed the buck to the Health Service Executive. As there are no health boards anymore, we do not have the opportunity to raise those matters at that level. The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children is not taking her job seriously even as far as dealing with a legitimate parliamentary question is concerned. She pretends she wants to put people into wards and that she wants to open St. Bricin's military hospital. I have the solution for her at University College Hospital Galway. All she must do is commission the 50 necessary staff to open 60 beds that are closed every year on average.

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