Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I want to ask the Taoiseach two or three straightforward questions about the nurses' dispute. I read in the newspapers this morning that more Government backbenchers believe that they are likely to lose their seats than otherwise because of the manner of the handling of this dispute. Up and down the country the Taoiseach will have encountered the widespread and acute concern about the state of the health services and the hospitals crisis in particular. I think he will agree that whoever is responsible for the shambles that is the health service, it is not the front-line nurses. Why are these front-line staff so alienated from the social partnership system? Will the Taoiseach give the statistics a miss this morning and say what is Government policy on this issue? Does the Taoiseach support the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, or his backbenchers who want to see the talks convened as soon as possible?

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