Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Nobody is hoodwinking anybody. Under law the Minister for Health was required to respond to the HSE when it sent him its plan for 2012. He has approved that plan. He has pointed out that it needs to be reviewed on a regular basis and that the first review will take place when the clear figures are known in respect of those who are going to leave the health service with a redundancy package at the end of February. He has also written formally to the chief executive to authorise approval for the plan and he informed the Cabinet of that this morning. The Cabinet accepted his recommendation to approve the plan subject to the aforementioned conditions.

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