Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Rabbitte is entitled to say that if he is elected to power he will close the tax incentives for private hospitals. There are no super private hospitals. They are the same tax incentives that have given us 7,500 nursing home units. If his policy is opposed to what we have created successfully, he is entitled to do that.

Deputy Rabbitte may say that I am using weasel, sleeveen words, but that does not take away from the facts of the case. The consultants are negotiating a common contract and they know the law well, as should the Deputy. Road traffic accidents and other emergency services will pass through accident and emergency units and people will continue to go to public hospitals. The Minister for Health and Children made that clear last week. That is not the issue. I believe, although the Deputy does not, we have a mandate for this. We have a mandate to build additional private hospitals and public hospitals.

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