Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What is the point in vastly increasing the health budget if the Government is so spendthrift that it has no control over the escalating costs? A total of €500 million can go without being noticed. It seems that industrial relations and Fine Gael do not work well together. I again ask the Minister my questions, specifically about the GP contract. The doctors are outside. It is the next national crisis. There are vacancies in GP practices in every county. I can list the areas in my county of Wexford where we cannot get GPs to take up contracts. This is going to be crippling for the health service, unless we get a contract in place. Four years of negotiations should bear fruit, rather than the generalisms the Minister has provided for the House today. I will repeat my question. When does he expect a concrete result from the ongoing negotiations on a new GP contract? When will the Government be in a position to deliver on the programme for Government commitments to roll out GP services?

See this speech in context