Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

It is very important to point out that there are many improvements taking place in the health service. Obviously there are issues but if the Leader of the Opposition's tactic is to come in and talk about a particular case where there is a difficulty and suggest that the sorting out of that difficulty alone is to sort the health service is a rather simplistic and facile approach and analysis.

Clearly what we are trying to do is to bring reforms into the health service that will deal with many of the perennial problems we are facing.

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