Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 15 Senators who contributed on today's Order of Business. The issue of health was raised by Senators Ardagh, Conway-Walsh and Ó Ríordáin. I will begin by saying that the trolley figures show a decrease of 509 in comparison to this time last year. In November, 1,864 fewer patients were on trolleys and year on year, 2,373 fewer patients were on trolleys. Notwithstanding the positivity of those figures, we all acknowledge that there should be no patients on trolleys in any of our hospitals. That is why the Minister for Health worked to secure an increase in the health budget and additional investment in our health service is happening as I speak. Sometimes Senator Conway-Walsh should leave her single transferable speech at home and look at the investment that is happening in our health service, in terms of the recruitment of staff, capital development in hospitals and the ways in which we are reducing the waiting lists. There has been a decrease in the number of people on trolleys.