Results 2,661-2,680 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I understand the agenda of the Deputy, who has visited all the hospitals in question. We are tracking each other in that I have been to most of them also. I have heard the negative comments but have also heard an endless number of positive ones. People who have been in for major cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplants, maternity care or other kinds of treatments, including people who...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I know there are Members of the House who believe we should hold on to all of those hospitals, something we cannot do. This plan, which is costly and which the Government supports, will ensure the north east will get a modern, integrated and safe hospital and patient services. Deputy Kenny knows that whoever is in Government for the next number of years, that plan will be unveiled. It is...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I refer to the last day when we debated this issue when I said to Deputy Rabbitte that I did not know of any contract negotiations and that he should table a question. He obviously did the right thing the following day and asked the people directly involved. The Minister for Health and Children has answered since and answered again today in an interview. The Deputy knows the answer to the...

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte should listen because if he listened he might know the position. I said clearly that the Health Service Executive will issue the invitation to tender to the selected bidders at the end of this week or early next week. Is that clear to the Deputy?

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: What do you think? The sites.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked me about private hospitals.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked me about co-locating.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I know the Deputy appears stupid at times but he cannot be that stupid.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On the second question——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If the Deputy would listen. On the second question——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I have answered it.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked me when we would go to tender or if there would be tenders. That was the first question.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The second question he asked was whether it would be leased or if some other arrangement would apply.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It will not be a sale. The Minister, Deputy Harney, said today that she wanted to attract investment into the health service and contrary to some view, which is mainly Deputy Rabbitte's view, we will not give away any land. The land would be leased. The private providers will profit share with a public hospital.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That has been the position for a long time. To answer the second question, it will be leased. In reply to Deputy Rabbitte's third question, the Government wishes to build eight private hospitals on these lands as soon as possible——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——which will be far quicker than the public sector doing it, and take 1,000 additional beds for public patients to try to stop the current position. Deputy Rabbitte is right. I do take the socialist view on this matter. It is wrong that private beds in public hospitals are being only part paid — 40%——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——by the private operators. It would be far better if we could build private hospitals that would take the private beds out of the public hospitals and put 1,000 public patients in to reduce waiting lists. In that way we would be able to have a faster and better health system.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is done in the Scandinavian countries, in socialist countries——

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——and in countries throughout the world.

Leaders' Questions (20 Mar 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Labour Party would prefer to stand up here every day and moan and groan about waiting lists in public hospitals rather than——