Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to raise this serious matter on the Adjournment. I take it that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, is dealing with this as I note that once again the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, is not here because she is denying these facts. It is disgraceful that the Minister for Health and Children and the Government are downplaying this serious issue. The Minister's take on it is nothing short of a con job.

Why must the patients of the north-east region suffer because of Government cutbacks? We were promised this would not happen. In May, before the election, the Taoiseach and the then Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, stated there would be no cutbacks to frontline staff. In September and October when they were asked about cutbacks they stated no patients would suffer.

The north-east regional orthopaedic unit will close for a month. This unit serves a population of 400,000. It does on average 200 operations a month. The Minister is trying to dispute that, saying it does only six. According to her own figures yesterday, she admitted that the unit has looked after 16,000 patients in the first nine months. If one divides that number by nine, one gets 177 patients, which is much more than six. It is an insult to the people of the north east and to this country that the Minister keeps speaking of the figure six. It is a disgrace. I want that confirmed and I want her to come in here at some stage and admit that she was misleading people with that figure. Her own regional organiser employed by the HSE, which reports to the Government, has admitted publicly that the figure is approximately 180. The consultants have stated it is approximately 180. Who does the Minister think she is to continue misleading us by telling us lies, that the figure is six, which is wrong?

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