Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, was told that the health budget was not credible by the Secretary General of the Department of Health before budget day. He said that introducing a budget on that basis was not being honest and is a clear breach of public financial procedures. That is from the former senior civil servant in the Department of public expenditure, and this comes on the back of the head of the HSE saying he either runs a huge deficit or makes cuts. It comes on the back of 11,493 patients, including 434 children, going without a bed in hospitals in November. More than 830,000 people are on the waiting list, and tens of thousands of people are leaving EDs without being seen. This is no way to run a health service and makes a mockery of the budget processes. Is the Taoiseach's Government knowingly forcing the HSE to run a huge deficit this year? Does he accept that this breaks all the rules of public finance? Day after day, his own TDs come in here commentating - commentating - on the health services in their constituencies. Their party is in government.

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