Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will there be meetings of the health committee or the committee on judicial reform before the end of the year? I ask because of the ongoing crisis in the health services which need constant attention and new policies, although the latter are probably an argument for another day. I was particularly taken by an interview on "Morning Ireland" by a doctor from south Tipperary who described the appalling conditions in south Tipperary hospital as a catastrophe, warning also that all other hospitals in Munster were facing the same difficulties. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Louth County Hospital in Dundalk have the same problems. The doctor identified the problem as arising from too many beds being taken out of the system and too many hospitals being closed down. The Government slashed over 1,500 hospital beds and closed hospitals. How can one take such capacity out of a system without it having a knock-on effect, particularly with an ageing population? Today there are 485 citizens on trolleys and 34 patients aged over 70 were left on hospital trolleys for over 24 hours on every day of every week in the past seven months. We know the story of a 93 year old woman from north Dublin and a 103 year old woman who spent almost 15 hours on a trolley in Tullamore. Can the Taoiseach give an indication that this committee will meet to deal with this ongoing emergency?

I raise the same issue as regards the justice reform committee. Yesterday the Government agreed the heads of a Bill on judicial appointments. The Government's confidence and supply party, the absentionist party known as Fianna Fáil, states it will not support the Government's Bill if the new body is not chaired by the Chief Justice.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, who takes up everybody's portfolio but his own, has demanded and, we are told, received agreement that the new body will be chaired by a layperson and that there will be five other laypersons, making up a majority of the 11 appointments. This is significantly different from what Fianna Fáil is proposing. One Fianna Fáil member has described it as a dark day for the partnership Government. Following this morning's Cabinet meeting, can the Taoiseach provide a firm date for the publication of the judicial appointments Bill and the judicial council Bill? Is the Taoiseach concerned that the Bill will fall, given the stated position of his partners, or will they do what they have done so many times in the past, namely, flip-flop on the issue?

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