Next into the fray, responding to the ESRI's view that there was no justification for the creation of 3,000 new hospital beds while beds lie idle throughout the State, was the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin's spokeswoman, who doggedly asserted that the Government was committed to an already discredited health strategy and that 3,000 new beds would be provided, notwithstanding. The fourth Minister to do down the ESRI report was the Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, who rejected the call for considering downgrading the standard of roads on lesser used routes which the NDP has earmarked as motorway standard. This barrage was followed by the slightly more conciliatory statement by the Taoiseach. He observed that "it is a good report" containing positives and negatives which should not be ignored and that the Cabinet "should be big enough to take some criticism".