James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

There were no parliamentary questions on health on Thursday.

We are at a fork in the road. Will we continue down the Minister's path, where we have been going for a number of years since she took over the Department? This has created a health system rather than a health service and places loyalty to the service ahead of duty of care to the patient. Alternatively, will we strike out on a new road where the reverse is the case and the patient would come first in all events, where we could capitalise on what we saw last Saturday, when doctors came from Dublin and nurses came from Portlaoise and the surrounding areas on their own time and secretaries gave up their free time, and patients were seen, letters were typed, signed and sent out? That is the way the health service should work.

It is an awful shame, if she is taking credit for that, that it takes the Minister's job to be on the line for her to act. That is not acceptable to this House or to me. I ask the people on the far side of the House to ask themselves will they support this Minister and continue down this route or will they make the right decision? Will they support this motion so they can go home and tell their wives, husbands, daughters, mothers and constituents that they made the right decision? The Minister must go.

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