Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join Senator Darragh O'Brien in again calling for the Minister for Health to come to the House as a matter of the utmost urgency for a debate on a series of issues that all of us on all sides wish to discuss, not least the most worrying one that €6 million is being written off in by HSE west.

Will the Leader schedule an early debate on social welfare, in particular on the processing of applications? The social welfare service is being inundated from all over the country by people applying for the various benefits to which they are entitled as a consequence of being unemployed or whatever. The length of time people are being asked to wait for relatively simple administrative processing is disgraceful. An example is that of an ill, elderly man from Tubbercurry in County Sligo who, having finished on illness benefit, applied for invalidity benefit in August. After four or five days of trying, he got through to the relevant office in County Longford last Friday. When he highlighted when his application was made, the person told him with a chuckle and in a dismissive tone that the office would get to him in approximately six months. This is disgraceful. An ill, elderly person is facing into a difficult winter and will require these benefits. A conciliatory and courteous tone should be used when dealing with the public. We must do all within our power to put adequate resources in place to ensure the processing is done in an efficient and effective manner. Were it in the private sector, this service would be out of business. While the State is under great pressure, surely we could do more to facilitate needy people. Will the Leader arrange a debate on this matter?

Regarding Aviva's announcement about potential job losses in the Leader's part of the country, will he suggest to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise ad Innovation, Deputy Bruton, in whom I have great confidence, that a pre-emptive strike be made so that all Enterprise Ireland and IDA companies be audited in terms of their outlook, their challenges and so on? In this way we could isolate companies that are considering moving their operations outside Ireland and take steps to ensure they stay and to protect jobs to the fullest extent possible.