Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I noted the "H" word was the only one that did not pass the Taoiseach's lips on Saturday night. There was no reference at all of hospitals, not to mention private hospitals and the Government's plan to build super private clinics on the grounds of public hospitals. There is not a single Member in any week of the year who does not deal with a number of harrowing cases of people languishing in queues for public hospital care because of the inequality at the heart of the health service intrinsic in the two-tier system.

The two-tier health system will be worsened by the Harney plan, endorsed by the Cabinet and supported by the Taoiseach. Up to now it was believed that people would be treated equally in accident and emergency departments. Now there will be a two-tier accident and emergency system.

Dr. James Binchy, speaking on behalf of doctors at a recent conference, stated that the following had emerged during discussions on new contract talks for consultants:

Under such a system [the system of co-location], patients who opt to be treated privately will be admitted directly to the co-located private facility, while those who cannot afford private medicine will continue to languish in A&E Departments while awaiting a bed in the public system.

The decision as to which patients will get a hospital bed will be made on the basis of the ability to pay rather than clinical need, Dr. Binchy said.

When I asked the Taoiseach if he was going ahead with signing these contracts before the election, he denied he knew anything about contracts. When I came back to it last week he stated that he thought it was going ahead, but he did not know, on 16 April. Will he further worsen the two-tier divide in the health service by signing contracts, for which he has no mandate, for which he did not seek a mandate, which are not in the programme for Government and on which he is proceeding on the eve of a general election? Is that still the position of his Government?

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