Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not accept that at all. The Government has been absolutely united in making the decisions that enabled us to be recognised as the fastest-growing economy in Europe for the second year running, to have created, by virtue of people's ability, more than 135,000 jobs, and to have driven the engine that is providing the resources to fund the public services we need. The Government set out its stall very clearly in undertaking to introduce universal health insurance. We then had the courage to face up to the situation when it became clear the specific model of universal health insurance was going to prove too costly. When political parties or governments decide to do things and have big ideas, it sometimes transpires that the nature of the specific issue turns out to be different but, because of a sense of allegiance to or pride in the original idea, they drive on through. This was the case, for instance, with the setting up of the Health Service Executive. That seemed to be a very good idea but it was foisted on top of a health board system that was not able to absorb it. Another example is the PPARS system, which went out of control. When the ESRI came forward with its analysis of the cost of the particular model of universal health insurance we had proposed to introduce, this Government said clearly we will not introduce that particular model because it would be too costly.

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