Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

People outside this House who will hear this reply will not be confident that there will be a better or more efficient health service in the future. A total of €868 million has been taken out of the health service in what is already a crisis. People generally and in my constituency believe services are collapsing around their ears. What has happened is that services have been cut to the bone and the cuts are now eating into the marrow. There are still up to 365 patients on trolleys, huge waiting lists and hospitals are trying to get patients back into community care services. However, there is a lack of care services in the community. When stroke victims who receive very good care in acute hospitals move back into the community they cannot access services as the system is not working. People do not believe it is working. We need further direction from the Minister who says he is guiding the health service into a better position, but that is not happening.

See this speech in context