James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----is the reality. As an elderly lady said to me many years ago, the truth is not fragile, it will not break.

Real progress is being made. The Deputy chooses to join with others and talk of nothing but doom and gloom and say nothing will change except in some wonderful aspirational fantasy land Sinn Féin will create in health without regard to where the money will come from or to how we will reduce the cost of delivering the service in this country. We are improving things for patients. I would be the first person to say we need to do more and that there is much more to be done. I continue to commit myself to that.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women who work in our health service for the fantastic job they have done, despite a diminishing budget and despite having fewer people.

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