Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

I second Senator Fitzgerald's amendment to the Order of Business which calls on the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to discuss her plans for the cystic fibrosis unit at St. Vincent's Hospital. There is a serious need for discussion on this issue because it is Government policy to not invest in the long-term development of the Irish health care service but instead to rely on the private sector to provide additional hospital beds and services. This has been Government policy since 2005 yet not a single bed has been added to the health service under this initiative. Therefore, the fact the Minister and Government policy state the Government will rely on the public sector for this development means it is unlikely to happen in the next four to five years. Such talk from the Minister in regard to the private sector is misleading patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis and who will die at an increased rate in this jurisdiction in comparison with patients in Northern Ireland. People there with cystic fibrosis live ten years longer than such people in the Republic, which says more than enough about our Celtic tiger.

I would like also if the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment were to come to the House to discuss the increased rate of unemployment, for which a number of Ministers bear responsibility. The Government response to the fact that 11% of the population is now unemployed and the Taoiseach's acknowledgement that this figure will increase rapidly requires us to debate this issue urgently. In excess of 100,000 people will lose their jobs before we return after the summer recess, which is unprecedented in the history of this State. We need to wake up and ensure these matters are urgently debated in this House.