Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The core of the problem is that we have a situation where a service to the public is delayed for four years because of a battle between private companies. The Tánaiste might clarify this for me as I do not know for certain, but it sounds to me like a version of a public private partnership, PPP. Sadly, we do too many things now through PPPs. When vital public health services are delayed for four years because we have chosen to go down the private route rather than the public, this is at the source of the problem. We should not be allowing these multi-million euro corporations delay much-needed services to public patients. It is ridiculous.

Regularly, the Government boasts that we can borrow money at 1.7%. Why have we not challenged EU rules so that we can borrow money at 1.7% and use it for infrastructure development, investment in health and other areas rather than being driven into the hands of the private sector in the form of PPPs?

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