Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I am delighted to contribute to this debate. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. I compliment Deputy Kelleher for tabling this motion. Some have regarded this motion as a bit of a cheek coming from Fianna Fáil. This Government is almost 18 months in office and we have nothing but broken promises. I do not blame the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, because she has made a decent effort to ring-fence the money in the mental health area and to do other things. However, there has been one broken promise after another. I did not even read the Government's proposed amendment to the motion because it is not worth the paper on which it is written. It is nothing but blunder and bluster from the Minister. He promised so much and made so many commitments, in writing and otherwise. He had experience. He negotiated the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, contract with the former Minister, former Deputy Mary Harney. He is a medical doctor and as a medical professional is more qualified and eminent to speak on medical matters than me. Other than that, however, he is a cowboy acting as if the rest of us are Indians. I mean that and I hope it is not offensive language. He is just a chancer as far as I am concerned with regard to what is happening in the health sector.

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