John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

It is just not happening. Deputies have received a number of replies from the Tánaiste in response to questions about beds. She said this afternoon that 1,000 public beds will be freed up as a result of her privatisation proposals. Was she referring to 1,000 public beds? She said at another stage that she was talking about 1,000 beds which could be used by private and public patients. Does she see the proposal as a genuine option? Why is she continuing with this policy when she and Professor Drumm have said that beds are not the main source of the problem?

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