Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

What reliance do we place on the programme for Government in the major area of health, for example? Has the whole orientation of the strategy changed? Are we now heading off in a different direction? If we are to go back to Deputy Sargent's question, why does the report not state that the Government has rethought the whole health area, that the way it was going at Ballymascanlon was the wrong way, that it has changed direction under Professor Drumm, who is now making policy, and that it is going in the other direction?

As regards getting Deputy Sargent to Balbriggan, the Taoiseach did not answer his question which was that if a year ago the cost of the metro would put us in hock for ten years in terms of other infrastructure projects, how come it can be thrown in now as if it were an afterthought in the middle of the €34.5 billion which the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, is promoting in the Irish Independent today. Are we now to have a series of political advertisements like we had coming up to 2002 fronted by Ministers? The Taoiseach will remember that coming up to the election in 2002, there was not a Minister in his Cabinet who did not have a radio promotion, an advertisement in the newspapers or whatever paid for by taxpayers' money advertising public services but promoting politicians.

I am happy my friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, is getting a look in because between the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Cullen, it is very hard for him to do so. I am anxious he gets a look in but do we have to pay for advertisements to promote him between now and the general election? He said in the newspaper today that he will ensure there will be no snarl-up of traffic coming up to Christmas, and we are paying for it.

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