Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

My amendment concerns the crisis situation in the north east and I support the amendment of my colleague, Deputy Tóibín, calling for an inquiry into the disgraceful overcrowding at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. We are facing into what may be one of the worst ever winters in our health services. If the Fine Gael-Labour Government does not act in accordance with the commitments it gave to the electorate prior to the general election, then the situation outlined at hospitals listed in the motion, and at other hospitals, will deteriorate rapidly.

There are over 1,900 public beds closed in our hospitals, yet the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, is in denial about this reality.

On 3 October last, I asked the Minister in the Dáil if he would commence a programme of reopening public hospital beds in view of the research by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation showing that 1,947 public hospital beds are currently closed. I asked if he agreed that more beds closed means more patients suffering needlessly on trolleys and more patients waiting at home in pain due to cancelled operations. He replied: "I do not agree that more beds closed means more patients on trolleys and more people waiting". I then pointed out that in May 2010, after 33 beds were closed in Beaumont Hospital, Deputy Reilly, as an Opposition Deputy, stated: "More beds closed means more patients suffering needlessly on trolleys and more patients waiting at home in pain due to cancelled operations". After less than a year in office, the Minister is already parroting the words of his predecessor, Ms Mary Harney. Her words have become his words.

The Minister's words and those of his Labour coalition partners were all very different when he was in opposition. In The Irish Times, on 8 February 2011, Deputy Reilly stated: "We will put in place an emergency plan to accommodate the predictable surge in activity that occurs every winter". In that same feature his colleague, then Labour Health spokesperson, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, said: "In the first months of Government, we will lift the moratorium on replacement of frontline staff where beds or operating theatres are closed because of a shortage of nurses, etc".

I would appreciate if the Minister paid a little attention to what I am saying.

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