Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for explaining to me once again how the HSE service plan is arrived at. I find that very instructive. Let me assure the Taoiseach that he does not have to explain it to me ever again.

What he could do is answer the question I asked him, which was whether he will give assurances to the parents of seriously ill children that this new service plan will ensure that they get the services they require. I have explained to the Taoiseach before that it appears to me that the Minister for Health dreams up figures, cuts services and then at the end of the year comes back to the House with supplementary Estimates of hundreds of millions of euro. All of this begs the question - from where did the Minister pull the original figures in the first place?

It goes without saying that any society, but particularly one which describes itself as a republic, should be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. I make the case that these children and other sick citizens are among the most vulnerable. I ask the Taoiseach again if he can give an assurance that this service plan, which I believe is a blueprint for greatly reduced services, will give our citizens the services they require. Whatever about the differences between the various figures that were given, the fact is that the health budget will be cut by over €600 million. Does the Taoiseach agree that over €600 million in cuts will have utterly devastating consequences for our citizens and our health services?

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