Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach has chosen to increase the entertainment budget in Departments, which is up by 66% this year or €1.2 million. This money is being spent for entertainment and clinking of glasses and €289,000 of it is being spent in the Taoiseach's Department. The travel budget for Departments is up by €2.4 million this year. Would that money not provide these services and allow these places remain open? The Taoiseach has chosen not to make any redundancies in the HSE corporate body, despite the fact that the chief executive told my party there were at least 2,500 people in the system who did not know what their jobs were or know where they fitted into the system, but yet they had jobs for life. The Taoiseach has chosen not to implement any of the rationalisation options mentioned by McCarthy, which would save €150 million. He has chosen not to do that, but has allowed another soft touch, and allowed the HSE savage the budget for these voluntary organisations.

I reject what the Taoiseach is saying here. It is fine for him to talk about governments of 13, 15 or 20 years ago. When the Government of 1994-1997 handed over the economy, it was in surplus for the first time in 27 years. It now looks as if we will have to sort it out again. The Taoiseach has come in here time after time and said he will always accept responsibility for his actions and that he stands over all his decisions. Yes, he does that, but he does not accept their consequences. He does not understand or seem to understand-----

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