Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

A point highlighted by the ESRI is that there is a difference — I am not sure political rhetoric has caught up in this regard — between the budgets introduced in the years 2001 to 2005 and some of the Government's earlier budgets dating to 1997 and that most of the gains have been directed towards those at the lower levels in society.

There has been a great deal of additional expenditure on health. I agree that we are not satisfied with the results but this does not mean there has been a disimprovement. On my visit to west Kerry I spoke to the manager of a hospital who informed me that in his experience — he spoke mainly about accident and emergency departments——