David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, we are sharing time.

It never ceases to amaze me that we have lengthy debates on health care issues in a policy vacuum. It is quite obvious the two parties involved in Government talks at the moment do not have a plan or strategy for health care yet we can come in here and have lengthy debates about how we will solve the problem. At least before the last election, the Minister's party did have a plan in respect of universal health insurance but, when he came in as Minister, that was ditched. It has not been replaced at all with any vision as to how we will sort out the problems in health care. We have heard about all of the problems, which have been articulated by members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael who have already spoken, in respect of people's medical cards being taken from them, including people who are terminally ill and very sick children. These are people who need medical cards but they have had them taken from them.

Almost every minute of every day, in acute hospitals across this State, including that in my constituency in Waterford, we have patients lying on hospital trolleys. This happens every minute of every day under the Minister's watch and it has happened under the watch of previous Governments as well. We have all the problems in mental health services, especially the lack of out-of-hour services for adolescents. This is a big problem in the south east and it is a big problem for many parents who struggle to support their children - young adults and teenagers - going through difficult times.

Of course, we have the real problems in our acute hospital settings. Capacity has been stripped from hospitals up and down this State. We have fewer doctors, nurses, theatre spaces and beds, all of which has resulted in increased waiting times. I will give all the figures on Waterford, which I got from the HSE, to the Minister. As he knows, I take an active interest in the hospital in my constituency all of the time and not just at election time.

It is also quite obvious that Fianna Fáil does not have a strategy either because I examined its policy very carefully and it can be summed up in five words-----

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