Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas don Cheann Comhairle. Mar a deirtear, "chillax" más féidir. Tá an córas sláinte mar phríomhscéal sa nuacht go laethúil anois, le scéalta dona faoi gach lá. Tuairiscí de scannal, billí polaitiúla, scéalta athchóirithe agus áiteanna á ndruidim and no transparency. The Taoiseach is still refusing to publish the criteria for Government decisions. Last night his officials tried to obstruct the work of the Committee of Public Accounts.

Today the news is that Tallaght hospital has sought a €12 million overdraft and the Health Service Executive is running a deficit of €374 million. This is the Minister's fault and, more important, the fault of the Government with its policy of privatisation. It has failed completely to deliver promised savings, tackle consultants' pay or the price of drugs or recoup money from private health insurance companies. It has also failed to bring order to the HSE which is collapsing in crisis. The Taoiseach knows well that the victims of these failures are older citizens, patients and people with disabilities. Yesterday there were 63 citizens on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and 327 on trolleys in hospitals across the State. All of them are victims of staff cuts, the recruitment embargo and cuts to agency staff numbers imposed by the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, and the Government. Given that every hospital has an overrun, will the Taoiseach indicate how many of them are running an overdraft and how many will run one before the end of the year?

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