Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As we are discussing a Cabinet committee, I do not expect the Taoiseach to give explicit detail of what was discussed at its meetings. He will recall that I attended many Cabinet committee meetings on health in the past five years.

I was struck by the intervention of Deputy Seán Barrett this morning. All of us, particularly those in opposition, can focus on the failings of the health service. What we need, however, is some form of accountability. If we are expending the bones of €20 billion on health services, why do we not have a better health service?

What happened in recent weeks was highly predictable because it happens every year and preparations had been made. A winter initiative was announced in September and a waiting list initiative was funded and prepared. In addition, the expansion of the fair deal scheme was supposed to meet the full demand for fair deal places and ensure nobody spent time in hospital if he or she should not be in hospital. Additional home care packages were also announced in advance of the Christmas recess. Despite this, the pressure on accident and emergency departments has been unprecedented this year. How has this occurred? Is anybody responsible or accountable? That was the fundamental question asked by Deputy Barrett this morning.

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