Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I also want to make the case that hospitals are delivering more treatments to patients than for the same period last year. The question of wards or beds being closed during the summer is a feature of our acute hospital system. On a yearly basis that happens for various reasons. Specifically on this question of urgent or emergency cases, they are being dealt with and will be dealt with. Obviously there is a range of reasons for certain procedures not proceeding. I do not want to go into any individual case on the matter. I would respect the views of the parents in this particular case.

As I have said, the whole question is about trying to improve co-operation between these three children's hospitals so that we can reduce the administrative overhead and give more money to the front line service. Presumably that would meet with the Opposition's agreement since we have a difficult budgetary situation against which we are operating generally. Over the past five years the budget here has increased by approximately 40%. This year it is approximately 3% down on last year because of the tight budgetary situation, but in fairness to the hospital it has also increased activity levels despite that fact. It is important that we all encourage the ongoing process of engagement that would see a greater degree of that €250 million total spend going to front line services than is the case at the moment by reason of the administrative arrangement that exists in the three hospitals.

See this speech in context