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

I wish to be clear on that. It is not that half of people referred have prostate cancer. That would never be the case for a cancer clinic.

What has happened is University Hospital Waterford needed more staff and it was hard to get the staff. The private sector has had to be used in the interim and will be used if needs be. I do not like doing that but I have no qualms doing it if it is necessary for patients to get timely treatment. Recruitment for consultants is difficult. Deputy Halligan will know that the socialist high tax, low pay policies he supports would make it much harder to recruit the necessary staff. If he honestly believes that it would be easier to recruit consultants to Waterford by increasing income tax on those who are well paid, he does not have the interests of his constituents at heart.

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