Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

We are planning on borrowing at least another €20 billion a year. We are also planning on supporting the banks to the tune of at least another €20 billion a year. Let us be realistic about where we are putting ourselves.

Yesterday the United States Treasury could not sell United Kingdom bonds at auction. We could find ourselves in a similar situation next year. I would not like to be the person trying to stand over another agreement on which we will have to row back because we have over-extended ourselves a second time.

That leads me to what I would like to see happen, which is for the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to talk about paying people extra to take up positions in the Health Service Executive. Five years ago when the HSE was established and all the positions were advertised no one from the private sector was taken on because the then acting chairman felt it was possible to find suitable people for the positions from within the former health boards. What has changed so dramatically in five years, that he wants to pay a dramatic increase in wages to attract people from the private sector? If that happens, I would like to know how many of those positions will be filled by people from the private sector. That is more of the scandalous waste of public resources and the disconnect from the current financial reality. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House because we are losing the run of ourselves in this country?