Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

On 27 January last, the Taoiseach launched his election campaign promoting a report from a PR firm. He talked at length about how the promises he would make in this election would be completely different from anything that had gone before. With typical understatement he promised a new redemptive politics and a new redemptive trust. He looked people in the eye and told them they could trust him and that he would keep his promises. As communities throughout this country have been discovering in recent weeks, these promises, especially where they relate to local health services, do not count for very much.

In Sligo, the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, sought and got votes with a promise backed up by the Taoiseach that if Fine Gael got into power, in the first 100 days - those famous 100 days - a satellite facility would be restored at Sligo General Hospital. He further promised that Fine Gael would upgrade it to a regional hospital. The Tánaiste gave a commitment as late as February that his party would immediately restore all services to Sligo and designate it as a centre of excellence. There were no "ifs", "buts" or "maybes" attached to the promises made in Sligo, Roscommon or other communities.

Now the deputy leader of Fine Gael has fired the expert board of the HSE and taken personal control of all HSE decisions. Yesterday his Department said spending is running €40 million below budget projections. There is no way to dodge responsibility for the decisions now being made.

Days before the election the Taoiseach told the people he had a list in his pocket of hospital services he would keep open. Will he tell us why he made those promises and which hospitals were on the list?

See this speech in context