Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

The Minister will live out what the Labour Party has argued from the beginning. She will not provide 1,000 extra public beds by doing this, but simply add to the capacity of private beds. The Minister's reaction today has confirmed our view that this is a flawed policy, that clinical issues related to patient safety will arise which somebody will have to clear up if this plan goes ahead. We are committed to arresting this plan and ending it. That is a better option that anything the Government has suggested.

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