Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, did not seek any mandate for this policy. He did not put it in the programme for Government. The Taoiseach knows there will be no accident and emergency services in the private hospitals. The consultants are saying that patients will be transferred out of casualty units on the basis of whether they have private insurance. That is how serious it is for the Fianna Fáil backbenchers who will rendez-vous with distressed and concerned people in the coming weeks.

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