Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Irish women's darts team and officials who are in the Public Gallery. They are the current world champions. Comhgairdeas agus fáilte.

Sixteen years ago, Fine Gael said it would end the scandal of people waiting on hospital trolleys. Yesterday in University Hospital Limerick, there were 130 patients on trolleys. That is the highest number ever recorded at any hospital in the State and a damning indictment of the Government's health policies. At the health committee today, the leaders of the HSE and the Department of Health have confirmed that the Government has massively underfunded the health service in budget 2024. This is the moment where the Government has thrown in the towel on health. It is ordinary people who will pay the price for this. What does the Taoiseach say to the people of Limerick and people across the State who will find themselves on hospital trolleys on his Government's watch?

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