Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to start by welcoming everyone back to the House after the December and January recess. I also want to begin by paying tribute to Dolores O'Riordan who died yesterday. For so many of us, especially those of us who grew up in the 1990s, she was the voice of a generation. No matter where one was in the world in recent times, it would not be long before one heard a Cranberries song on the radio, even in the most far-flung places. Dolores blazed a trail across the world with her unique voice and song-writing talent. Our thoughts are with her children, family, friends and the people of Limerick in particular. Guth glúine ab ea Dolores O'Riordan. Beidh a hoidhreacht ceoil linn go deo. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a hanam.

Regarding hospital overcrowding, which was raised by the leader of the Opposition just now, according to the HSE, 415 patients were on trolleys in emergency departments and on wards this morning. We expect that number to fall throughout the day, as it usually does, to approximately 250. It is important to say that two thirds of people who attend an emergency department are through it within nine hours. In other words, from the time that he or she registers, a patient is either in a hospital bed or discharged home within nine hours. That is the experience for two thirds of patients but, of course, the experience for many others is much worse and can sometimes involve prolonged periods spent in emergency departments or on trolleys while waiting for beds. That is something I do not seek to defend in the House today because it is not defensible.

If this was simply a matter of political will or finance, we would have resolved this problem a long time ago. Indeed, in 2006, Deputy Micheál Martin was a member of the Government which declared this a national emergency. The Deputy's party was in government for a further five years after that. That was-----

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