Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

According to the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, 350 people die in this State as a result of overcrowded emergency departments. This means that, in the 40 days in which Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have refused to talk to each other, 35 people have died in this State in overcrowded emergency departments. These are not people coming to the end of their lives but people who are dying as a result of those overcrowded emergency departments.

Some 5,715 people are in emergency accommodation today. In the 40 days that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have refused to discuss Government face to face, roughly 280 extra people have joined the ranks of people in emergency accommodation.

Tuesday next, 12 April, will mark the tenth month since Clerys closed.

That was a textbook case of tactical insolvency. No doubt we will have a round of crocodile tears from all the parties in this Chamber, but the fact is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael may still not have spoken to each other. The disaster about this is that there are solutions to these problems. For example, I have a Bill that I want to bring before of the Dáil which would pierce the corporate veil and which would ensure that these tactical insolvencies cannot happen and yet, because of this Government hiatus, caused by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, I will not be able to do that.

People watching today will feel it is surreal to see Deputies Micheál Martin and Enda Kenny hector each other 30 feet apart from each other but not go into a room to discuss Government as of yet, 40 days later. The truth is, as has been mentioned, Sinn Féin wants to be in government. We want to be in a position to make the necessary changes, but the numbers are not there, and anybody who says they are there is simply looking to draw us into the farce in which other Deputies are involved at the moment. We are honest and upfront about what we want to do and we made our decisions and laid our cards on the table very quickly to expedite the process of Government formation. Mark my words, Sinn Féin does not want a Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil Government.

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