This is our last opportunity to have the Taoiseach answer questions on Leaders' Questions before the summer recess. I will start by quoting Paul Byrne of Tallaght, who said, "The next time I go to A&E again I'd rather not be breathing." He was the patient who, during a visit to hospital, found that, when he returned from the toilet, his trolley had been taken for another patient. We have had lists of promises and statistics from the Taoiseach and his Ministers over the last few years regarding accident and emergency units. On 7 January 2004 there were 179 patients on trolleys in Dublin accident and emergency units. On 3 February there were 207 patients, on 26 April 160, and on 22 June 150. The figures for summer are almost the same as for winter, despite the fact that €11 billion is being spent on health services.

That is not confined to the Eastern Regional Health Authority area, and those situations will be exacerbated by the requirements of the working time directive when it enters force later this year. Similar problems have been experienced in University College Hospital, Galway, in Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, in the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick, Naas General Hospital and Wexford General Hospital.

The Taoiseach has examined the economic situation, which is quite strong. He has said publicly that we have more money to spend, and the Tánaiste has said that we have three years in which to put the boot to the floor. Is the Taoiseach satisfied, and does he agree with me, that the structure that currently applies is not capable of delivering 24-hour accident and emergency services for those who need them when they need them and that it must be radically altered now? Does the Taoiseach intend providing extra moneys this year to deal with the provision of 24-hour accident and emergency cover in hospitals throughout the country for people who need it and currently cannot get it? Will it continue to be the case that, if they go there, they will find themselves lying on trolleys for days on end?

The Government identified some years ago that health reform and a change to our structures were necessary. We must change our health board system and many other structures in the health system. We have identified that and prepared and produced reports. We have passed the Health (Amendment) Act 2004. We are already trying to put extra resources into different areas of health care. I will not go through the long list of the improvements in staff and everything else. I assume that people who were there are doing a better job.

It is a fact that there are particular problems in accident and emergency departments. We have identified those problems and tried several ways of alleviating the difficulties. We have far more accident and emergency consultants in the units. We have opened additional beds and tried through various measures to eliminate the problem as far as one can. Deputy Kenny suggested that 24-hour cover is a difficulty. We must find out exactly whether it is a matter of simply having more beds. I do not like the term "bed blockers", but it means that there are people who, owing to the lack of stand-down facilities, cannot go home or get alternative accommodation, instead staying in acute hospitals longer than they normally would.

Two years later.

Please listen. If that is the case——

Please allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

Some 150 people——

This is Deputy Kenny's question, and Deputy McGrath should leave it to him. The Taoiseach should continue without interruption.

That is the reality two years later.

If that is the case, though we have opened additional beds, we have to try to do more in the area. Accident and emergency departments are clearly the main focus. In all surveys of patients, they say that, by and large, they find the hospital service excellent but the accident and emergency departments fairly disastrous, though not in all areas of the country. That is the challenge.

It is a question of changing some of the systems. I remember a time not that many years ago when it was not possible to have accident and emergency departments in every hospital. However, it seemed at that time that it was not so difficult in accident and emergency, though that appears a total contradiction. Now we have accident and emergency units everywhere, all well staffed.

Monaghan is not.

If it is a question of resources——

They have not delivered.

——and more staff, we will have to see what we can do. The Minister has identified the hospitals and the areas and tried to eliminate those problems.

That is more or less the same reply that the Taoiseach has given on numerous occasions in the past. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, is being strangled by the Department of Finance and the Taoiseach's Government. Today is the Taoiseach's 2,568th day in continuous Government. There have been seven years of plenty and seven years of waste.

When the Taoiseach says that he has opened extra facilities, perhaps I should remind him that a €96 million wing of the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown remains substantially idle. A brand new health centre costing €48 million in Ballymun has been lying vacant since it was finished 18 months ago, despite the fact that the Northern Area Health Board has paid €5.25 million in rent for the facility. A €26 million high-tech accident and emergency unit has been lying idle in Cork University Hospital for the past seven months. The hospital wing at South Tipperary General in Clonmel has been idle for 15 months. A €2.8 million, 90-bed unit for the elderly in Birr, County Offaly remains unoccupied. Is the Taoiseach not ashamed that he presides over a Government that has failed utterly to deal with a fundamental issue of rights for our people — access to health care when they need it?

The litany from Minister after Minister reminds me of Edmund Burke's remark that falsehood has a perennial spring. Seven years later the Government continues to spout endless lists of money spent when the evidence is available in every household in the land that this has been the worst Government in 50 years and has failed completely to deal with the nation's health issues. The Taoiseach should be ashamed of himself heading into the summer recess. Shame on him and his Ministers.

Hear, hear.

Tuam hospital is closed.

Deputy Kenny and his colleagues never like to hear the facts but he is not going to get away with giving the impression of misleading the public.

Show us that.

The facts are Deputy Kenny asked whether there are still problems in accident and emergency units. The honest answer is yes, in some places.

I asked what extra moneys his Government intends to provide.

Based on all the figures for ordinary people, over 30% more receive treatment in our hospitals.

They are not on medical cards.

That is history.

The Minister for Health and Children is strangled.

There have been 1 million in-patient treatments this year. We have far better cancer treatments and a significant improvement in heart surgery. There is a massive improvement in our maternity services. At least we built the units the Deputy mentioned and we will open every single one of them.

They are closed.

The Government should open them.

On a point of order, the Government did not build them.

Is Deputy Hayes not satisfied with his leader's handling of the question?

I am happy with it.

He is very happy with it.

The Taoiseach's minute is concluded.

I assure Deputy Kenny that not alone did this Government build all these units but his colleagues will come along for the opening days, trying to claim some credit for them as they always do.

When?

It will be like decentralisation at home.

We know who wrote the Taoiseach's speech.

Hypocrites.

Deputy Ahern has enough trouble in Dundalk.

The Deputies got their photographs taken.