Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join others on the Government side who have called for a debate of confidence in the Minister for Health. The sideshow has gone on for far too long. We have overruns of some ¤300 million and there are concerns all over the country. We are unanimous that we want these primary care centres built as quickly as possible, in whatever order the criteria dictate and resources permit. However, the gobbledegook and misinformation of the past week or ten days must come to an end. We see this from the courageous MEPs, Nessa Childers and Phil Prendergast, who have said "Enough is enough" from a Labour Party perspective. I support that position. Sometimes people with leadership step out from the crowd and take a stand when necessary. This is what is necessary now.

I hope Labour Party Senators can prevail upon the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, to put an end to this sideshow. The people, as I said here last Wednesday, are fully behind any Minister. They fully understand that cuts and savings must be made, but they are entitled to have confidence in the actions and activity of the Minister on their behalf. I fear the actions and activity of the past two weeks have done nothing other than ensure uncertainty among people, further ambiguity and doubt that this person can do this job on their behalf. If Fine Gael persists in keeping its head in the sand, the Labour Party has an obligation, on behalf of ordinary people, to take the opportunity to take steps on behalf of the people and to put somebody in command of the ¤12 billion that will be spent on health. They must do it before the Sunday newspapers are issued in order that people do not have to put up with another week of uncertainty or of the headless chicken approach to managing the health service.