Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I asked the Taoiseach a specific question about identifying those community hospitals which are to be closed. He dodged the question and answered questions that were not asked. I am not pretending everything is all right - on the contrary. This does not add up. The Taoiseach says there is a focus on community care. Why then cut 500,000 home-help hours? If there was a focus on community care he would not do that. This is just an appalling vista.

The Taoiseach asked what everybody in the House wants from their health service. What the Sinn Féin party wants is equality, not only in our health services but in every aspect and sector of life in this so-called republic. Nothing can be more iconic in what is going wrong at present than to see elderly people in their beds on picket lines. That is what we are doing. The most vulnerable elderly people are out in the cold on picket lines campaigning to have their nursing home space reserved and protected.

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