Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

Now that the farce we have seen in the past week is over, it is time to get back to business. The Minister for Finance is considered by many to be an eloquent speaker. However, instead of sounding silver-tongued in the past 24 hours, to many Fianna Fáil backbenchers, he seems to speak with a fork tongue. Rather than play silly buggers with Fianna Fáil backbenchers the Minister must continue to come to the House and let us know what is going on in our economy. We are now in a very serious crisis but it seems this Government has forgotten where its priorities should lie.

Is it possible to invite the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to the House? In six weeks' time there will be no inpatient mental health services in County Wexford. The Minister promised alternative day hospitals and community psychiatric teams for the county but none has been delivered in the way she promised last September. In spite of all the concerns raised about the those services mental health services are not being upgraded throughout the country in the way expected, as promised by this Government. I ask that the Minister for Health and Children be invited to the House to explain why she has failed so completely in her commitments and promises to the most vulnerable people in our society.