Alex White (Labour)

——and all the fantastic achievements he loves to detail to us, how can it be that not one of these flagship projects will be delivered on time? The massive economic and social impact these delays will have must be faced up to. It is a matter for the Government, as Senators O'Toole and Fitzgerald stated earlier.

The constant attempt to off-load responsibility to other agencies, notably in the health services, is extraordinary and says something about our system. Four months ago the House debated the health services. Members said not to blame the Minister for Health and Children for individual problems in hospitals. While I accept the Minister cannot be held individually responsible for such problems, she can and must be held responsible for the system itself.

We were told four months ago there would be changes. There is this constant sense that something is going to happen in the future but never does. Instead, today we have a Kafkaesque report on the health services where no one is responsible, as Senator Fitzgerald rightly said. One has to pinch oneself to see if there is any reality in what the Government says. There must be ministerial and Government accountability and collective Cabinet responsibility on issues such as public transport and health. I repeat my call for a debate on public transport.

I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 15, Protection of Employees (Agency Workers)(No. 2) Bill 2008, First Stage, be taken today.