Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The most bizarre of them all appears to be the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney's, proposal to rename the accident and emergency units as admission lounges, which I noted from the newspapers this week. She is now in the business of introducing admission lounges. I wonder when we will get the opportunity to question the Tánaiste on this. If we submit questions to her, as has been pointed out earlier, she will kick to touch by referring them to the HSE. I disagree with the earlier speaker. It is not the HSE on which we need to focus but on the Tánaiste because she has no difficulty answering oral questions as they are presented. It is the written ones she refuses to countenance.

As the oral questions present no difficulty to the Tánaiste and in the interests of better accountability for her and her Department to this House, would she ensure that there is a greater number of opportunities for oral questions to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children in order that Members may be informed properly of the responses to their questions? We are being left in a limbo, devoid of responses. A vacuum of information exists on a raft of questions that are building up month after month. There is no accountability. Until such time as she presents herself in this House more frequently and allows Members to get through a greater raft of questions, we simply will not make progress. The situation is serious. What does she intend to do about it? Perhaps she will also tell us a little about her admission lounges.

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