Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I will begin with some good news, namely, that I have found out where the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, has been over the past few weeks. I note that on Monday he opened, apparently, a new unit in Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown, a unit which was opened 18 months ago and which has been up and running since then. There is no question this was just a media stunt and that the reason he was in Blanchardstown and in the hospital on Monday was to promote the Fine Gael candidate for Dublin West. The Minister for Health should be knuckling down to the work he said he would do at a time of ongoing crisis when there are more patients on trolleys than every before in the history of the State. In that regard, my colleague, Senator Thomas Byrne, has submitted an Adjournment matter on the Lourdes hospital.

Can the Leader tell me why the Minister for Health felt it necessary to open a unit 18 months after it got up and running? The unit was opened previously by our late colleague, Brian Lenihan. Did this opening occur at the request of the Minister or Department or was it at the request of the hospital?

With that in mind, I intend to move an amendment to the Order of Business. I wish to ask and insist that the Minister for Health attend the House today. I am aware he is due to attend the House on 27 October, but if he can find time for cheap publicity stunts to try and fool the people of Dublin West that he is opening a unit that has already been open for 18 months, he can surely to God find time to attend the House. I was informed by the Government Chief Whip yesterday that the Minister is a very busy man and will try and fit us into his schedule. He is obviously not that busy when he has time for these stunts. In view of this I move amendment No. 1: "That the Minister for Health attend the House to tell us why he felt it necessary to waste Government time and his time to fool the people of Dublin West by reopening a unit that has already been open for 18 months."

I have raised the matter of Aviva Insurance in the House previously. What contacts have the Taoiseach and the Minister with responsibility for jobs had with Aviva? I note from reports last night that we are now being told that over 1,000 jobs could be lost from Aviva. The Taoiseach said, and I agree, that it is a matter of great anxiety and concern to those who work in Aviva. He went on to say: "It is only right and proper that I do not comment on this until such a time as the company arrives at its conclusions, having carried out its analysis". The Government has the opportunity now, while the company is carrying out its analysis, to ensure the jobs are retained. There is no point in the Taoiseach and the Government deciding to wait until the company has carried out its analysis, followed by 1,000 or 2,000 jobs being lost and then crying crocodile tears about it. What has the Taoiseach done and what contacts has he made with the company? Has the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, met with Aviva executives to see what are their concerns with regard to retaining the full 2,000 staff in Ireland? What is the Government doing about the situation?