Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The root of the issue is the chaotic mix of public, private and charitable provision of health services in this State which has been allowed to develop over successive Governments, including previous Governments in which the Tánaiste has been involved. This has allowed charitable organisations to provide core health services. Those Governments, and the current one, must bear significant responsibility for the situation. While the State has provided much of the funding, an arm's length relationship allowed poor accountability to flourish. In St. Vincent's hospital there was one chief executive for both the public and private hospitals. Considering the amount of public money that has gone to support the activities of Rehab, does the Tánaiste agree that it would be more cost-effective for the services it provides to be provided directly, as they should be, by the State?

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