Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The result is that people suffered because of the Taoiseach's deliberate political decision. He has choices in everything he does but he chose this particular route and he has not allocated enough for this particular area for 2015. The only reason €500 million extra was allocated is because that is the amount the Taoiseach deliberately short-changed it in the preceding year, and he was told that at the time. I remember it well in this House and there was an extraordinary scene where the then Minister disowned his own allocation at the time of the budget. He said they were not his figures, that he was handed them by the Minister, Deputy Howlin, and the Government and the famous Economic Management Council of the Cabinet. It was a diktat and it was one that short-changed the people and elderly people in particular. If the Taoiseach does not believe me, he should go out to the hospitals and talk to the doctors, nurses, care staff and others and they will tell him morale has never ever been so low in our health service.

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