Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

This morning The Irish Times reporting the Taoiseach's approach to budgetary reform stated the Taoiseach said he would go ahead with the €4 billion budget cuts with or without partners. Earlier in the week he spoke about reform. The Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, spoke about trying to save money through reform mechanisms. It is very clear there is uncertainty about the Government's approach. Members of Government appear to be saying just enough to annoy every interest group, but there is not enough public discussion of the direction in which the budget is going. We should be discussing the McCarthy report and the Commission on Taxation in this House. I oppose the Order of Business on the grounds that we ought to be discussing these issues at this critical period.

The Taoiseach spoke about reform, but it is very clear that the Government's track record on reform is very poor. In areas such as the HSE and FÁS there is no evidence of reform, which is something this House should be discussing. For example, this week it was reported that €11 million was being spent by the HSE on sick leave. We cannot find €10 million for a life-saving cervical cancer vaccine for girls and yet €11 million is being spent on sick leave within the HSE with no proper explanation. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to explain why cardiac operations at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin are being cancelled on a daily basis. Many Senators will have received an e-mail in this regard during the week. I spoke to Gemma Lawlor, mother of Joy Lawlor Doyle, on Sunday about the distress she experienced on receiving a telephone call from Joy's crèche to tell her that her child was turning blue and that the staff could no longer look after her because they were so concerned about her cardiac condition. Will the Leader ask the Minister to outline to the House what plans there are to deal with the cardiac waiting list at Crumlin Children's Hospital? There must be immediate investment in the hospital to tackle this problem. Children like Joy cannot wait until the paediatric hospital is built on the Mater Hospital site; they require intervention now.