Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I confirmed several weeks ago, when the HSE put in its bid for 2015 it requested an additional €1.4 billion, to solve pretty much all our problems in the health service, if one believes that money alone can solve all the problems in the service. I imagine other agencies, like the NRA or the Department of Education and Skills, also put in very high figures for what they would like to get. Ministers then try to secure as much as they can. I managed to secure a supplementary of €680 million, as well as the first increase in seven years in the budget, after four years of cuts under Deputy Keaveney's party and three years of a budget freeze under this Government.

It is undeniable that we are struggling. We still spend €1.5 billion less than we did seven years ago, we have 15,000 fewer staff and there are more patients. They are older and they have more demands. I assure the Deputy that everyone in the Department of Health, including the Ministers, everyone in the HSE and everyone working in the health service is doing everything they can with limited time and resources to alleviate this situation.

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