David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt Senator Quinn's sincerity in introducing the Bill, on which I commend him. He has been a pioneer in introducing legislation in this House, but I do not see how the Bill fits into the vision of a fair, equitable and efficient health-care system that I would like to see in this State. The reality is that people are dispensing with private health insurance in droves because of the cost and because in many cases people are living in poverty. People are in low-paid jobs and can no longer afford to pay the premiums.

I am deeply uncomfortable with the language we use regarding the market and health care. I come from the position that health care should be provided as of right based on health need alone. There should be no institutionalised queue jumping. There should be no need for private health insurance. If somebody needs to get private health insurance and wants to pay for better care, it should be fully covered by them and it should not be subsidised by the taxpayer at a time when we are taking money out of the health service, as this and the previous Government have done.

When the Minister for Health is not in the House, on the Order of Business on a regular basis we have Senators who call for his resignation because of the disastrous health-care situation. However, when he comes into the House they are strangely silent or mute. I take the view that if say something when he is not here, I should say it when he is here, which is that he should resign. He should resign as Minister for Health for a range of reasons. Even if he resigns and is replaced by a Minister of like mind, we will still have the same policy positions and the same disaster in our health service. We had the complete disaster of the medical cards which has now been acknowledged by the Minister and the Taoiseach as a complete fiasco. It was unfair on all those-----