Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business to ask the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to explain the decision not to proceed, in the short term, with a unit for cystic fibrosis patients and with the isolation units promised. This is a complete breach of faith with these people. It is a life and death issue for patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis. Treatment in this country fails far behind that in other countries, including Northern Ireland. The life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients here is less than it should be because we do not have the facilities. It is an absolute disgrace that, while we had ten years of the Celtic tiger and billions of euro went through this economy, we have not been able to provide basic facilities for these families who are among the most vulnerable in the country and are the most needy in terms of medical care. Anybody who heard Orla Tinsley speak on the 6 o'clock news recently must have been heartbroken listening to what she, her family and all the other patients face on a daily basis. It is an absolute disgrace and I ask the Leader to bring this request to the attention of the Minister for Health and Children immediately and to give us the opportunity to discuss this issue in the House today.

The following issue touches on budgetary matters. Contrary to what we have heard Ministers state on "Questions and Answers" and other programmes, the Opposition has not been given the information it needs from Government. We have had no up-to-date forecasts for the economy from Government and no forecasts of tax and expenditure. We have had no information on the spending options being presented by Departments or the McCarthy group and no information on the costings of tax options being considered by the Government or the tax commission etc. There is a huge amount of information which we want from Government but which we have not received. What the Ministers have said is simply inaccurate. It is not the full picture. The Opposition is not getting the information that the Government is implying it is giving to us. We have asked for detailed information but we have not received it.

I raise the decision by the Minister for Finance on tax on cigarettes. Many of the organisations working with cancer have been giving information on this topic today. It is inexplicable that the Minister has ruled out an increase in the tax on cigarettes. Will the Leader come back to the House on this matter? Public health issues should be predominant in this decision. There is a major problem with smuggling, but it accounts for approximately 15% of the market and it should not be the reason not to increase tax on cigarettes. That issue should be dealt with in its own right and action should be taken by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Will the Leader ask the Department what action is being taken on foot of the findings in the "Prime Time" programme two days ago on the smuggling of cigarettes and the use of children?