Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I will address the management and planning of our public health service and public service generally. Just more than four months ago there was a general election campaign during which Fianna Fáil pledged to be the party that could best manage the economy and deliver public services. This pledge looks very hollow today given the continuation of the Health Service Executive's recruitment freeze. The Minister for Health and Children was in the House some days ago and said this matter would be reviewed on the first day of the month and that no patient would be affected or suffer as a result of the changes. This is clearly not the case. Operations are being postponed in quite a few hospitals and there is general unrest in the health service associated with industrial relations activity. There is no confirmation as to when the recruitment freeze will end.

During the Order of Business in the Dáil this morning, I heard the Taoiseach almost fail to respond to a question on health. Despite our having a Minister for Health and Children, a Department of Health and Children and a sub-committee on health, the Taoiseach almost seemed to be washing his hands of public accountability in respect of the health service.

Yesterday RTE reported there are a huge number of patients, some 41,000, on hospital waiting lists. Some 24,000 patients are waiting for day care procedures and 17,000 are waiting for inpatient procedures. In light of these very disturbing figures and the reported adverse economic climate which appears to be affecting our health service so adversely, will the Leader ask the Minister for Finance come to the House before the budget so Senators can discuss this matter?