Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I managed to complete one sentence without interruption. The Opposition should stop interrupting and let me speak. We have put in the resources and the staff. There have been significant improvements throughout the health service, in the level of cancer care, in paediatric medicine and in most of the difficult specialties there have been major and growing improvements.

I accept the accident and emergency units have not been as successful but in many of these units there has been success. The newly-built units are very good. I will not go into the figures for the number of patients on trolleys.

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