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

I thank the Deputies. Regarding ambulance services, I am genuinely sorry to hear about the bad experience that Deputy Ó Murchú's constituent had. Certainly, nobody would want that to happen to anyone or in any constituency. We have increased investment in ambulance services all the time. We have new paramedics, new vehicles, new basis and systems for call out, but sadly, there will always be occasions where multiple calls happen at the one time. It happens with An Garda Síochána as well. That can result in delays but it is always the most urgent calls that get prioritised, or at least that is what is supposed to happen through the triage system.

On the one-off payments, I know the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, will examine that. There has to be a cut-off point somewhere but she has made some modifications in the past where one-off payments were extended to some smaller groups who were not covered initially so that is something to which she will give consideration.

Regarding health, all I heard from Deputy Murphy was him quoting ideology and rhetoric but no facts. The health budget is bigger than it has ever been in cash terms. On a per capitabasis, we are mid to high on the table in the western world. We have 20,000 more staff than when the Government came to office. The HSE will be able to hire an additional 2,000 staff members on top of that next year. We have pay deals with public servants. We are beginning negotiations on another round of pay increases for our staff in the health sector. We have added more than 1,000 beds since this Government came to office. For the first time since the foundation of the State, the majority of people in the country qualify for free GP care. We have abolished inpatient hospital charges for children. For adults, we have State-funded IVF now. We have made contraception free for a lot of women. We have a major hospital building programme under way. This is not privatisation or cutbacks; this is the reverse of all of that. It is a parallel universe that the Deputy tends to read from.

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