Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

The fact is that 50% of the increased life expectancy in Ireland is due to better health interventions and 50% is due to our enhanced prosperity over the years since we joined the European Union. At that stage, we were below the EU average by more than a year and we have substantially increased life expectancy in the intervening years, which is a good news story.

Deputy Reilly criticised me for some of the data in the amending motion. If we are to have real debates in the country and in context, we must recognise that in the health area there will always be people looking for services that cannot be provided immediately. There is no doubt about that and there is no health system in the world where that is not the case. Fine Gael proposes in its fair care plan that there will be free general practitioner access for everyone in the country at a cost of at least €1 billion, yet we are told it will not cost any more money. Fine Gael proposes that there will be private health insurance for every citizen in the country who will get unlimited health provision in a timely fashion. That is not supposed to cost us any money either. Deputy Reilly has accused me of madcap policies and mythical mathematics, but if ever there was mythical mathematics, it is that we will increase GP service to the two thirds of the population that do not have it and it will not cost an extra penny, and that we will provide private health insurance yet individuals will not have to pay more and it will not cost taxpayers more.

Fine Gael's new finance spokesperson said at the start of the summer that he would revisit these policies, although I do not know if that has yet happened. If we are to have a real debate in this House about an alternative approach, we must at least be honest about costings and about the financial situation in which this country finds itself.

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