Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Ring received a response to a parliamentary question in July to the effect that €10 million will be spent this year on special advisers, press officers and support for Ministers. We have evidence of the €8 million spent on consultancy reports. We know that when the Taoiseach was Minister for Finance he sanctioned payment after payment on the famous computer programme, PPARS, for the health system. He also paid out money for the upkeep of voting machines, on which the Government of which he was a member spent €60 million. This amount would have allowed completion of the vaccination programme for six years. This Government has reduced people's lives to economic statistics. The Minister for Health and Children, who is sitting beside the Taoiseach, announced the vaccination programme with great fanfare in August and included conditions which she has now withdrawn. Some parents will now be forced, because of their concerns, to have their children vaccinated at a cost of €500 or €600, while others will not be able to do that. Even if it is only a matter of 5%, the Government has withdrawn a programme that we know can save lives — that HIQA states can save lives — because of its cost.

This party put forward a number of propositions. The pay freeze would bring in €400 million across the public pay sector. Dropping another Minister of State would save €5 million or €6 million. There are so many areas where the Government could save €10 million in the knowledge that it is not just bolstering up bloated administration or facilities for Ministers but putting in place a vaccination programme that will save lives. That is the point. The Taoiseach has an opportunity today to review this programme and not have every one of those Deputies on the Government side, many of whom have genuine concerns about this, forced up the steps to vote against the establishment of a vaccination programme we know can save lives. A 12 year old in school today who would be the recipient of the vaccination programme, which we would support, will have a life to live. Others will not. I do not want it said that the vaccination programme that could have saved the lives of 5% of girls in this cohort, if that is what it is to be, was withdrawn by the Government. The Government has an opportunity to admit this programme works, review this situation and Fine Gael will support the Government in what its members have been calling for — cross-party support on a health issue where we can prove, beyond voting "yay" or "nay", that lives will be saved.

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