Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will not oppose the Order the Business. I wish to raise two issues. I understand the Minister will be present for the debate on the Finance Bill and as there are very important measures in that Bill which all of us wish to discuss I do not want to use up the time. Notwithstanding that, it is important that the Minister come to the House to speak specifically on the implications of the deal in Cyprus which is worrying and sets a very dangerous precedent. One wonders about the talk of Labour's way or Frankfurt's way historically, when under the chairmanship of the Labour Party-Fine Gael Government we were happy for a European deal to be done which does not even burn bondholders, it burns depositors. What are the implications for Irish depositors in the future if this is the case?

This sets a precedent for Europe. What are the implications for the Italians, the Spanish and the Portuguese? What we have now is a further ramping up of the eurozone crisis in which there are implications for Russian investors and Cypriots are having to look east rather than west for a solution. Surely, that is not something we want set as a precedent during our Presidency of the EU. It is more akin to the works of Chavez, the Argentinians or other default nations than those of this country.

Another dangerous precedent being set is that under the Irish Presidency, there has been an insistence in these talks that corporation tax be increased from 10% to 12.5%. What are the implications of that for Ireland where the corporation tax is supposed to be ring-fenced? Can we have some clarity on these issues? A very concerning impression has been created about the eurozone crisis following a botched Cypriot deal which had more to do with placating the election-focused Angela Merkel than on finding an overall solution to the banking troubles of the European Union.

I ask that the Minister for Health be made available to the House at the earliest possible juncture. In the north west we have seen over the last week a senior consultant dermatologist break ranks to admit that he is dealing with waiting lists under which appointments for routine matters cannot be scheduled within three years in one instance and five years in Donegal. This is unacceptable at a time when moneys are supposed to have been made available to provide for consultants. The rebalancing exercise to help hospitals to break even towards the end of last year saw some moneys taken from larger hospitals and given to smaller ones. In Castlebar in the constituency of the Taoiseach and the Cathaoirleach, ¤10 million was provided. Among five hospitals in the north west this issue is at a critical juncture. The consultant in question has said that basic referrals from GPs and the prioritisation of same are now a lottery. I ask the Minister for Health to look to the north west and the financing of these hospitals where critical appointments to consultant posts for acute services have not been made. A consultant is now coming out to admit that the service is unsafe and cannot be managed because he will not be given the necessary resources. This is a very important issue and we will revisit it in the coming days if there is no response.