Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Yesterday, I asked whether the Minister for Health would come to the Dáil and make a statement on his involvement with a private nursing home. The Taoiseach gave this commitment and I welcome it. I will not pass judgment on the Minister until I hear what he has to say on the issue. However, there are questions for the Taoiseach. The Minister for Health has failed to honour a High Court instruction. Did the Taoiseach know this? Did the Minister tell him or his colleagues in government that this was the case? Did he tell the Taoiseach or his colleagues that he was to appear on the debtors defaulters list in Stubbs Gazette?

The reality is the Minister has a personal investment in private health care and he is pursuing the Government policy of closing public nursing home beds. Tá sé ag druid leapacha achan lá. In the early part of this year, 296 public nursing home beds were closed. I believe 600 elderly citizens in public hospital beds cannot be moved out of them because of the Government's policy, which is privatisation of the health service, just like Fianna Fáil before it. Does the Taoiseach acknowledge this was all part of privatisation? It is part of a tax scam for people to avoid paying tax by being given a ten year tax break for private nursing homes. The Taoiseach said he has complete confidence in the Minister, Deputy Reilly; he would probably be expected to say this. However, does the Taoiseach accept, in the interests of clarity, that there is a conflict of interest between the Minister's investment in private health and the closing of public nursing home beds?

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