Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I am acutely aware that palliative care is needed. Every single extended family in my constituency has been touched in one way or another by cancer. I do not want only those who are rich to be able to afford palliative care. I do not want those people who are on very low incomes putting themselves into debt, in some cases serious debt, to try and buy proper palliative care for their loved ones in their last days on this earth. This amendment is pathetic.

I would have half expected such a proposal from the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats end of this Government but I am absolutely amazed and astounded that the Green Party has gone along with this proposal. I am absolutely astounded that Independent Deputy Finian McGrath is going along with this proposal. It is beneath contempt for the Greens and Deputy McGrath, who on many occasions sat on these benches and slated the Government for its policies over recent years. Since 2003, when the then Minister, Mr. Charlie McCreevy, brought in this gifting of taxpayers' money to these developers of private hospitals, we have had many debates. Because of the public outrage over the scandalous notion introduced in 2003 I thought that would be the end of it. I did not really expect it to come back again. It is a mark of the arrogance of the Government that here it is yet again. Here is more gifting developers with public money. The Government is shovelling money over to private developers to provide an essential service that should be available as of right for our people.

How much will this cost the Exchequer? I am told the amount already given to developers for the development of private hospitals is unknown and unquantifiable. Will the funds given under this provision be quantifiable? Will any measures be put in place to allow us ascertain in 12 months or two years how much it will have cost the Exchequer? I am told that is the position with what has happened already. This money from the Exchequer should be retained to develop proper health care services for our people.

Cancer patients are waiting for up to 18 months for an examination. They cannot even have an examination to know how serious their condition is for a period of 18 months. The Taoiseach tells us it is the consultants' fault and the doctors' fault. As he is not a doctor it is not his problem. He claims these consultants who are putting people on waiting list are responsible. How pathetic is it to come in here and tell the House such nonsense?

The Government and its predecessors have presided over ten years of an otherwise successful economy. It claims credit for making it a booming economy. I do not accept that. However, I accept that a jackass could have run this company as well as that Government and its predecessors have done for the past ten years. A jackass could have done what they did because they left no proper social infrastructure in place. The health service has been in crisis for eight or ten years and the Government is doing nothing about it. No proper public transport is in place and there are no proper education facilities. I could take the Tánaiste to half a dozen facilities around my constituency that are falling apart and in need of renovation. The Tánaiste thinks he and his colleagues have done a good job with this economy in the past ten years. The biggest disappointment for me is that the Green Party and Independents are backing him in the endeavour he is proposing today.

Yesterday we touched on the notion of social conscience and the Tánaiste came back to me, for which I am glad. There is more social conscience in a cat's arse than there is in the entire Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.

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