Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On 21 November, during the Order of Business, I asked the Taoiseach if he intended to introduce a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Health and he refused to tell me; he refused to answer and dodged the question. Later on the same day, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform confirmed there would be a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Health. That shows the difference in attitude in the Government parties towards the Minister for Health. The Taoiseach covers up while the Labour Party Minister comes clean. I do not know why the Taoiseach did not tell me. Did he not know? Was the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform speaking out of turn? How do we do business in this institution?

This is a €360 million addition to the Department's budget and while Sinn Féin supports the proper funding of the health service, this shows the Minister's original Estimate was complete fantasy. He has failed to recoup the costs of private patients in public beds despite a commitment to do so.

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