Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

The problem is that for several years the Taoiseach has backed and facilitated the extreme right-wing ideology of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, and her party, the Progressive Democrats, in crucial areas of the health service. He has even done so by not restoring the thousands of beds ruthlessly cut from the system in the 1980s and by allowing cowboys — speculators and builders — to treat health care as a product on the market by building private hospitals.

It is very difficult to obfuscate about the situation at Monaghan General Hospital and get away with it. The Taoiseach may say with regard to mental health services for children that he cannot do the work immediately but these services exist in Monaghan County Hospital for the community of County Monaghan. Therefore it is easy to be very clear on what will happen in the next two years.

I would like the Taoiseach to state in his final reply whether in two years time the high care unit, the seven day, 24 hour medical services ward, the seven day, 24 hour accident and emergency unit and the extra facilities will be there and fully functioning to provide the service that is needed in County Monaghan. The Taoiseach could be very specific about that and clear up what is on the face of it a complete conflict between what the Minister for Health and Children is saying and what the Taoiseach was quoted as standing for at the meeting today.

It is important that the Taoiseach is clear on this matter for this community and for communities around the country because this is a pilot project. If the Minister for Health and Children gets away with what she clearly has in mind with the cutbacks, the same will come to hospitals around the country. A great deal is at stake. The Taoiseach needs to be very clear, and state in black and white the position of the Government of which he is head. He can resolve this issue in the next minute, to everybody's satisfaction.

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