Brendan Ryan (Labour)

The transformation of a dying wasp into a threat to the security of the State is perhaps one of the most remarkable transformations. The Tánaiste told us less than two years ago that the gangland killings were the last sting of a dying wasp. They have now been transformed into a threat to the security of the State and to the Irish way of life that we have all grown to love.

I agree with Senator O'Toole. The idea that profoundly important criminal justice legislation and a major amendment to the Constitution to deal with children will be rushed through in the short time left is an offence to anybody's idea of good democratic parliamentary accountability, but then I begin to suspect the last thing this Government wants is to be too accountable because it has been caught out so often at this stage.

There was an advertisement in yesterday's newspapers from the Health Service Executive stating that it has now commenced on a study to find out how many acute hospital beds the country needed. The Government is in power for ten years and it is approximately eight years since it announced we needed 3,000 more beds. I have a simple suggestion for the Government and the HSE, that is, they telephone either the Labour Party or the Fine Gael Party headquarters which will be able to tell them how many acute hospital beds the country needs. We know and the country knows. The only people who do not know are the members of the Government.