Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

The difficulty with the HSE is that it is not proofing its proposals for budget balancing against the rights that already are there under the Health Acts and which are available to citizens. The HSE has no right simply to state it intends to balance its budget. It is open to citizens to test this in the courts and it is my hope they will do so.

One of the great difficulties in this regard, irrespective of who is Minister for Health and Children, is that without a floor that accepts the constitutional guarantee to a minimum of health care available to all citizens on an equal basis, one cannot have a policy. This brings one to the issue of the arbitrary figure. In fairness to the national cancer forum, it did not specify 500,000 people. It suggested "about 500,000" people and discussed the case above and below the limit. Consequently, those who wish to take the suggested approximate figures contained in the report in black and white and suggest they are absolutes again are resiling from the report itself. A logical case has been made and the most reasonable response to this week's debate would be to return to the report and take the interpretation that is possible by offering a ninth centre, given the strong case that has been made.

I repeat that it has been pointed out empirically that the alternative is to impose an unfair burden on those who already are over-burdened in Galway. This is the reason that when one talks of equality of access, one must take into account the road structure, the amount of time spent travelling and the delivery of the service. We went through this before when we discussed neurosurgery and the right of regions to deliver equality of access to medical rights for their citizens. That is why, even at this stage, I appeal to those speaking on the Government side to at least consider the case supported in the report——

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