Dermot Fitzpatrick (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will not go any further than that other than to point out that the matter ended up in the High Court where a very learned judge castigated the perpetrators in no uncertain fashion. However, that is in the past.

I wish to make a few points about the position in the north inner city. I accept there are problems in accident and emergency departments but during the years I have seen an expansion of services to children, the opening of rapid access units for elderly patients who need quick assessment and treatment and the exponential expansion of the psychiatry of old age service which does an excellent job. It must be one of the few consultant-led services where the consultant goes to see patients in their own home or elsewhere. We could go down that road with many other services.

I join Deputies Ó Fearghaíl and Finian McGrath in welcoming the graduate entry programme. Speaking as a doctor, I would not have made it into medical school under the current system. Gaining 800 points in the leaving certificate examination should not be a prerequisite to being a doctor but it was left in place for so long because nobody could come up with an alternative system that would be open, accountable and transparent. Students with a very high number of points got into medical school whether they were suitable to practise as doctors. To be a doctor one must be able to empathise with patients and get on with them. A student who has achieved 800 points may be more suited to dealing with rocket science, which is not the same as dealing with patients on a daily basis. It will be interesting to see what the graduate entry programme does for the quality of medical professionals.

I congratulate the Minister and her Ministers of State. She has a most unenviable job. In many ways her position is similar to being a captain on a large crude oil carrier. We are familiar with 500,000 tonne carriers. It takes a considerable effort to make one change direction.

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