Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Cathaoirleach it is quite relevant. The Minister is quoted as having said: "I'm not going to confirm or deny or in any way change my comment that I've made repeatedly about Dr. Jim Reilly."

In the first instance, we would like to see the Minister, Deputy Quinn, come to the House at the earliest possible date. One cannot be criticised for wondering about the kettle calling the pot black when one considers the particular lack of success with the implementation of the SUSI plan, which was going to be the solution to all of the problems of many students throughout this country. All of us in our clinics, throughout the entirety of the Twenty-six Counties, have come across people who are having to leave college because their funding has not arrived. It seems unusual that the Minister would seek to deflect blame from his own Department onto the Minister for Health.

Having said that, there is clearly serious division in government when the Minister for Health does not have the confidence of his Cabinet colleagues. Indeed, it is hardly a coincidence that the Minister, Deputy Quinn, did not contribute to the debate on the motion of confidence which took place in the Dáil on the issue. While I am conscious that, with the budget tomorrow, we cannot facilitate all debates as quickly as one might like, we should ask the Minister for Health to come to the House by Thursday at the latest. In the other House today, a Supplementary Estimate of ¤370 million is to be adopted without debate, which shows the absolute incompetence of the Minister in question. This is far from being a surprise. In February of last year people on this side in both the Dáil and the Seanad highlighted the fact that there was not enough money and that the budget was wrong and dishonest. Indeed, this was borne out by Mr. Cathal Magee, who, as we well know, was then shafted from his position as head of the HSE for speaking the truth.

What we have, in effect, is a lame duck Minister who does not have the confidence of his Cabinet colleagues. As a result of so much kite-flying, plus genuine cuts to home help, acute hospitals and other services throughout the last year, we have a nation terrified that the person who holds the financial reins in the context of the health reforms that are required does not have the confidence of his Cabinet colleagues and, as a result, will not be competent in putting the necessary health budget across the line tomorrow. In that regard, I ask the Leader as a matter of the utmost urgency to arrange that both Ministers make themselves available to Seanad Éireann for some genuine questioning, rather than the kite-flying and rhetoric which is all we have seen in the last months.