Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I thank my colleague, Deputy McManus, for raising this important issue. One of the features that mark out a society is how it treats its poorest members and those in greatest need, particularly in areas such as health. The Government's approach has been characterised by a form of schizophrenia. Fianna Fáil appears to want to take a populist approach in which it emphasises health services for everybody whereas the ideology of the Progressive Democrats requires that public services be privatised, even if they function well. The mechanism by which the latter party has chosen to do this is to provide extraordinarily generous tax breaks for people who invest in the health care industry.

The issue is no longer one of health care but one of investment opportunities, property development and the health care industry. Labour Party members are not foolish. While we are aware that in today's economy and in the era of globalisation the health care industry has become global, the issue here is to decide what is best for Ireland.

Last night, the Minister referred to Dean Swift founding a hospital at St. Patrick's Cathedral as a private initiative several hundred years ago. The truth is that well-off or religiously inclined people provided for the common and public good at that time. Dean Swift did not take a punt on an investment worth €100 million in the grounds of Blanchardstown hospital. He was motivated by a concern to provide for the poor and indigent in Dublin.

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