Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There will be another €750 million in cuts next year. Last week, the Government gave €1 billion to unguaranteed bondholders. Hopefully, I am getting this point through to the Taoiseach. This is not just a failure of a Minister. If he went tomorrow, it would perhaps be good generally for morale. However, it would not make a blind bit of difference because the Minister is implementing the Government’s policy. This is a failure of Government policy. The folks in Fianna Fáil have much to answer for but it is on the Taoiseach’s watch that this is happening.

We can see the Department and the Government now closing ranks. Instead of closing ranks, will the Taoiseach accept he needs to bring forward a supplementary health budget? He has billions to pour into bad banks but no money for failing hospitals. If the Taoiseach can give billions to the bank, can he not provide a supplementary health budget? As I said earlier, the Taoiseach is a compassionate person and he knows the people who are suffering are the patients, the elderly and the vulnerable.

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