Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

At a meeting held on Tuesday evening, attended by Oireachtas Members from County Wexford, the Minister for Health and Children and members of the HSE, Dr. Colm Quigley, who is responsible for the transformation of health services in the south east, stated he would not be able to keep open accident and emergency departments or maternity units unless he breaks the European working time directive until 2012. When challenged, the Minister for Health and Children stated she would not allow the European working time directive to be broken. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health and Children to come to the House to discuss this matter? This will apply throughout the country to all accident and emergency departments and maternity units, except those in large teaching hospitals in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. A significant threat will be posed to accident and emergency departments and maternity units in every other hospital in the country if the Minister refuses to allow the European working time directive to be broken. The Minister should come to the House immediately to discuss this because it will lead to a massive reduction of services in accident and emergency departments.

Do the Leader and other Members have a problem with other European parliaments scrutinising Ireland's budget proposals prior to the budget being made public in the Oireachtas? It is unbelievable that the Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is accepting a proposal that essentially states he and his Government cannot be trusted with the public finances. I would like people to point out to me how having control over our budget proposals is anti-European. It is fine if the European Parliament wants to scrutinise it after we have announced our budgets in the Oireachtas. I find that members of the republican party have travelled a long way in being able to give over control of their budgets to the European Parliament.