Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

This proposition is diverting public moneys through tax breaks and land access for private developers whose entire motivation is to view health care delivery as a means for profit. They view health care as a commodity to be traded as any other, bought and sold on the market. Is the Taoiseach aware that of those who seek access to the sites currently on offer, ten of which have been identified, there is a company called Triad bidding for at least six of them whose parent company in the United States had to pay $1.7 billion in fines to the United States justice department in settlement of a raft of criminal and civil charges brought against it by the United States Government? Are these the types of people and is this the type of system the Government wishes to impose on our acute hospital system?

I urge the Taoiseach to do something at this late stage, even in the mouth of a general election. Here he is in the last months of the Government, despite all the lessons in regard to Eircom and Aer Lingus——

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