Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I can say for Deputy Adams's information that there is a slight difference between a meeting of the economic management council and a meeting between the economic management council and the banks. He is aware of the difference there. As he is aware, the pillar banks and Ulster Bank were before the economic management council on two occasions.

The people who are entitled to attend the Cabinet sub-committee on health are the Tánaiste, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Minister of State with responsibility for primary care and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, equality, mental health and older people. As is required, people attend from different sectors of the Departments where there is cross activity involved.

In regard to the children's hospital, we have not met the group involved in it. The Cabinet approved terms of reference for that group and gave it 56 days to respond to the decision of An Bord Pleanála in regard to the proposal to build the national children's hospital on the site at the Mater hospital. That group has been set up and will report in respect of issues arising from that proposal and other options. A whole range of health issues has passed through and been decided on, both by Government and the Minister for Health. These range from the setting up of a universal health insurance implementation group tasked with drafting a White Paper on universal health insurance by the end of 2012 to the approval of proposals for a permanent risk equalisation scheme. Legislation is in train to make that valid from 2013.

The Deputy will know the special delivery unit, SDU, which has made such an impact on hospital waiting lists, was set up in September 2011. It looked at the question by visiting each individual hospital. There is a range of activities as a consequence of the discussions at the Cabinet sub-committee and the decisions of Government and the Minister arose from that.

See this speech in context