Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Professor Drumm says one thing, Deputy Harney says another. The Tánaiste is beginning to take on the bewildered bystander persona, so affected by the Taoiseach. She was on television last night to say this was something which we cannot put up with, as if she had not responsibility for it or as if somebody on this side of the House was responsible. Who has been in Government all those years? We have now moved from a Minister for Health and Children who does not read his brief to one who cannot handle her brief. We have reached the stage where the Taoiseach's backbenchers are sniggering at the fact that the two PD Ministers are up to their arms in trouble everywhere they look. The backbenchers are beginning to enjoy it. Meanwhile, unfortunate patients, including the aged, are kept in the most inhumane undignified circumstances in hospital corridors, in accident and emergency units all around the country. There were 384 of them yesterday, and the Taoiseach rhymes off statistics about what it is he thinks he is doing. Whatever he is doing is not working. If this national emergency plan makes an assault on this serious problem, it has our full support. However, why should this plan be successful when all of the others failed? We had the ten-point plan in November 2004 and it did not work. Why should this one work?

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