Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Please do. I am delighted to have the opportunity to extend and elaborate on some of the points I made in my opening remarks.

The bottom line is that the selection process for identifying primary care centres on the Government's list was ripped apart by the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, as seen in the letter released yesterday under the freedom of information process. He stated he consulted with a whole range of people - except, apparently, the Minister of State in his own Department. He said he consulted, for example, with his Cabinet colleagues. The Taoiseach put it on the record of the Dáil some days ago that the Minister consulted with all his colleagues in that regard. I put a direct question to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, some moments ago. Was she consulted on the inclusion of the additional 15 primary care centres as announced by the Minister? Apparently, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, was not consulted, because he made his views known on a television programme, commenting that it looked like stroke politics.

The game is well and truly up for the Minister, Deputy Reilly. He brought about the resignation of the chief executive officer of the HSE, lost the CEO of the VHI and has now effectively forced out a Minister of State in his own Department who took a principled stance and was determined that the objectives on health care in the programme for Government would be implemented swiftly, in a fair manner, and in a manner that ensured that scarce resources would be allocated to those most in need. Instead, the Minister, apparently with the full support of all his Cabinet colleagues, rode roughshod over the process whose integrity the former Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, was trying to ensure. Will the Minister, Deputy Burton, state whether she had knowledge of the additional 15 centres being added to the list? Was she included in the process, and is she satisfied about the criteria used by the Minister for Health?

The bottom line is that the former Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, took a principled stand yesterday, but the wrong Minister has resigned. The game is up for the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, and the clock is ticking. Will the Minister for Social Protection now put on the record whether she has total confidence in Deputy James Reilly as Minister for Health?

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