Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

Sometimes, when people are discussing this issue, they talk about culture in a disembodied sense, that a culture that was bad existed. Clearly, there was in this case. However, the culture was created by individuals and carried on by individuals. The top surgeons in question were a really big part of this. The question has to be asked in terms of what the motivation was. Was the motivation financial? When I heard the figures, on top of salaries, that consultants receive €1,500 for the first hip and another €750 for the second. These are relatively easy operations for the surgeons to do. The Taoiseach can see how that may have a significant distorting effect on what is happening in our hospitals and proves the basic point that we need to have a proper public health system. I make the point that the email which suspended the MDTs, which was incredible, was cc'd to the senior management at Cappagh. It should have raised a red flag. Clearly, it did not because it then proceeded to happen and the MDTs were suspended.

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