Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Tánaiste indicated the existence of new priorities. Would he like to tell the House what these new priorities might be in respect of tax breaks?

Has he a clear idea of the cost of the proposals for co-locating private hospitals on the grounds of public hospitals? For every €1 million invested in a private hospital bed on a co-located site, the tax expenditure will be a minimum of €410,000. An additional PRSI element will also accrue.

He seemed to indicate that he is thinking in terms of the budget. What are the parameters of the additional tax breaks and will he follow his consultant's recommendations on a three-year duration and the publication of full cost-benefit analyses prior to the introduction of proposals?

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