Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

The Deputy is correct that the reductions in health spending next year will be a minimum of €600 million but, as the Government has not finalised the four year plan or the Estimates for next year, I am not in a position to confirm the exact figure. When I know the figure, I will sit down with the HSE to work out how the budgetary parameters can be implemented. I do not pretend it will be easy and it will be particularly challenging for the acute hospital system.

Consultants are obliged to meet the terms of their contracts and it is a matter for hospitals and the HSE to pursue breaches. As the Deputy will be aware, it is my ambition not to have private activity in public hospitals. The reason for the co-location model was to ensure beds currently being occupied by private patients who have alternatives can be used instead by public patients. I recognise the Deputy does not agree with that policy but in a country where half the population has private health insurance, we are going to have large numbers of private patients in public hospitals.

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