Noel Coonan (Fine Gael)

It is appropriate that the Deputy Leader is present because I read in The Irish Times yesterday a comment by the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to the effect that it would be a betrayal of patients to give them inferior service for the sake of keeping local hospitals open. This is an alarming statement for any Minister responsible for health to make. Is she saying she will close local hospitals or that the service offered by them is inferior? Will the Deputy Leader arrange for the Minister to debate the health services in the House, particularly in respect of local county hospitals such as the one in Nenagh? This hospital provides an excellent service to the rural community.

Could we also have a debate on the number of people waiting to receive health services? We read that in Cork alone, more than 10,000 people who are sick and in pain are waiting for appointments with consultants, yet we are told waiting lists have decreased or have practically been eliminated. Of course they have because we are not talking about the queue to queue.

The Deputy Leader should be concerned about the spin put on the health services by the Health Service Executive, which comes from none other than his Fianna Fáil colleague, who was employed by the Government. It is clear there is collusion with the HSE to massage the figures, such that we are not receiving the full truth. I call for a debate on this serious issue and it is up to the Minister to clarify the position. She cannot have it both ways.