Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I feel a little inadequate in having to follow such a fine performance from Senator O'Toole. He has really put it up to me. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley. I am delighted and proud to commend the record since 1997 of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, his predecessor, Deputy Cowen, and the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government. I am glad that the Minister came into the House today to put the record straight for us. He was very upfront in recognising that there was a need to do more and in acknowledging that more would be done by him.

There are concerns in relation to the health service. There have always been and always will be such concerns. I am glad, however, that the Government is committed to the elimination of waiting lists. Rome was not built in a day, just as waiting lists cannot be wiped out in a day. The Government has been very progressive in finding new ways of dealing with them. It is also committed to dealing with other problematic areas in the health system.

The Minister mentioned figures. I encountered some departmental statistics during my research for this debate. The Government is spending $2,109 per capita, compared to an EU average of $2,097. The figures, which are in US dollars because the statistics are compiled in a common currency, show that there is very little difference in what we are spending per capita. Ireland spent 3.6 billion in 1997, a figure which has now risen to 9.2 billion.