Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like the previous speakers, I welcome this debate. It is a crisis. I walked around Naas General Hospital one Tuesday and saw the trolleys in the accident and emergency department. I spoke to the staff and management. The issue is not simple and straightforward.

This is a Fianna Fáil motion, but the first trolleys in Naas were seen when Fianna Fáil came to power in 1997. The then Minister promised to get rid of them within two years, but actually increased the number of people on trolleys. It disgusted me yesterday to see him in the middle of the INMO demonstration. He stood tall; I think he stood on the 147 reports he commissioned and did nothing about during his time as Minister for Health. He and another former Minister, Brian Cowen, set up 107 forums, but nothing was acted on. It is ironic that Fianna Fáil should bring a motion such as this before the Dáil Chamber today, when it was in power for 14 of the 17 years since the first person was on a trolley, and that it should speak to us in a high-and-mighty manner about the issue. At least we are trying to do something about it.

I commend the staff and administrators in Naas General Hospital for the work they have done to try to deal with this. It is not an easy thing to deal with; it is complicated.

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