Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

If the Green Party had not bounced the Taoiseach into seeking consensus, when was the Minister for Finance going to tell the people about the savage cuts coming down the tracks? The real political challenge for the Green Party and Fianna Fáil in the next seven weeks is to be as honest as possible with the public. For this reason, the Leader must arrange for the Minister and the Taoiseach to appear before the House. They will have to give up on the idea of making phoney budget speeches in the first week of September and instead begin to outline what is to happen in this country not only in the next 12 months but also in the next few years. Based on what the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has said which is worthy of debate, we will see cuts of at least 15% in front-line services. That will entail reductions in home help services, the availability of nurses and equipment in intensive care units and for newborn babies. The cuts will be dramatic and before Senator Boyle looks sideways to suggest I am being silly-----