Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has directed that every efficiency will be extracted prior to cutting any service. Patient safety is paramount. Care and sensitivity is to be applied in the case of Letterkenny, Naas and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda where there are significant service challenges and a heavy dependency on overtime and agencies. The Deputy will be aware of the situation in so far as sick leave is concerned and so on. Inpatient discharges are 2.7% higher than the period last year and 8.1% above target. All of these can be dealt with during the course of the Private Members' motion.

The point is that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and his Ministers of State follow Government policy and the mandate given to the Government was to sort out the public finances of the country, restore our economic sovereignty and give an opportunity for this country to provide jobs, employment and careers for our people and young people in particular and not to have them travel to other lands by necessity. That is a situation that is not easy to achieve. It is not with any great pleasure that any Minister has to refer to this as the challenging road ahead but as a women said to me last week, sometimes it is necessary to do hard things in the interests of the country. The impact of what has to be done in terms of patient care and patient facility is very close to the heart of Government and the heart of the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and will continue to be so.

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