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

I will initially respond to the Deputy's use of the phrase "hand washing". Nobody on these benches has washed his or her hands of anything. However, people who sit on the benches around the Deputy and particularly in the seat beside him are good at wringing and washing their hands about issues and they have a great degree of amnesia when it comes to their role in the formation of the HSE and all that went with it. It is extraordinary that at a time of unprecedented access to money that the health service went from bad to worse culminating in 569 people on trolleys in January 2011.

The Deputy quoted me as saying the figures were unachievable. I never used that word. I said I was deeply concerned about the challenge they represented and I remain concerned. A validation process is ongoing in this regard.

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