Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Since I raised the issue last week of operations being cancelled in St. James's Hospital my office has been inundated with the reflections of people all over the country on other operations being cancelled. It must be very dispiriting for professionals to work in the health services given the present position.

Ten years have passed, €60 billion of taxpayers' money has been spent on the health service, there have been three Ministers for Health and Children and the Government still does not seem to realise that there is a serious shortage of acute beds in the country. Last week the Taoiseach said there will always be waiting lists and the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, said this is a manufactured crisis, with people in white coats showing concern, and that the Government will not be directed by such a situation. Last week it was St. James's Hospital that was involved and this week it is the Mater Hospital.

BreastCheck was first rolled out in 2000 and there was a specific guarantee that six beds in the Mater Hospital would be left aside specifically for women who required urgent medical attention for cancer and that they would receive intensive treatment from specialists within three weeks. I understand those six beds are no longer available to women who need urgent medical attention for cancer, which is appalling. The guarantee of six beds no longer applies because the figures for accident and emergency units are being massaged. It is all about the trolley count. It is either a question of saving face or saving lives and in this case it appears the Government is more interested in saving face. Will the Taoiseach tell the House that the six beds guaranteed to be ring-fenced for women who require urgent medical attention for cancer will be restored forthwith?

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