Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I must listen to the physicians and to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland who make the statements on behalf of their practitioners in this country. In the interests of patient safety and health, we must listen to their views on Monaghan hospital and elsewhere. I remind the Deputy there has been significant political involvement in many of these decisions relating to his region. I also remind the Deputy that when his colleague, Bairbre de Brún, was Minister for Health for a short period in Northern Ireland, she ran into difficulties with what were historically the longest waiting lists ever experienced in Northern Ireland. If these issues could be easily resolved then we would all have easy solutions but that is not the case.

The Government is committed to dealing with this remaining area of the health service in an up-front manner. With regard to the Deputy's remarks about the Tánaiste, she has been the first Minister for Health and Children since attempts at reform were made in the 1960s, to try to tackle this difficult issue.

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