Alex White (Labour)

I second that proposed amendment. My colleagues are absolutely right about the need for a debate on these issues. Senator O'Toole, when he was speculating about whether the problem is that the Government is trying to censor debate, may be right, but it is more likely that the Government does not know what it would say if such a debate took place. It manifestly has no plan and no basis for hope. That is the problem. It could outline that there will be pain, which we all know must be bourne, but it could also present the possible gains. That should be a part of the role of politics and leadership. People need to take pain for the reasons referred to by Senator Fitzgerald because of economic mismanagement and there is also the international context, but there must be hope that there will be gain in the future.

The Government appears incapable or paralysed in some way. It has been unable to articulate any sense of hope for the future. It is riven with division and paralysed in terms of policy or offering leadership. That is why there has been no debate in this House. I do not expect we will have such a debate. We have been calling for it for months and I expect some response from the Leader but I doubt we will get the sort of debate we are seeking. I am beginning to think we are wasting our breath in calling for that sort of debate.

In terms of the standing of politicians, which Senator O'Toole mentioned, we have discussed on many occasions the bureaucratic monster that is the HSE, its inaccessibility and lack of democratic accountability. It has instituted a programme of public relations, the principle purpose of which is for it to contact "opinion formers", celebrity bainisteoirí and other mouthy individuals with whom it intends to discuss problems in the health services so it can get feedback. When was the last time Senators were contacted by the HSE to give feedback? When was Senator MacSharry asked about cancer services in the north west?

I heard a HSE communications expert talking about feedback this morning. People are telling us what is happening. An intensive care nurse told me last week that they cannot get the basic equipment to do their jobs and there is a shortage of staff. We could not make this up. This unit in the HSE is engaging in an extraordinary exercise where it contacts these celebrities to give them its spin but it completely lacks democratic accountability in the health service. I get e-mails from it every week, as do other people, but they are spin. I have a question for the HSE about this project: how will it improve health services in this State?