We are facing into another winter when patients will experience what is, all too often and too sadly, a hell in accident and emergency departments in hospitals throughout the country. People are queuing for admittance on trolleys and chairs. The reality is nothing other than a Third World situation for staff and patients alike. It is an intolerable situation.

Why is the Minister for Health and Children, rather than addressing this major crisis in our health system, proceeding to implement her madcap plan to privatise our hospital system? Why is she facilitating private health care developers with access to public land adjacent to public hospital facilities? How does the Taoiseach explain this proposition, which clearly did not appear in the Government's health strategy, the programme for Government or the manifestos of either the Fianna Fáil Party or the Progressive Democrats Party in advance of the last general election? The Taoiseach, the Minister and the Government have no mandate whatsoever for pressing ahead with this proposal.

Deputy Ó Caoláin's party does not have a mandate for some of its policies.

This proposition is diverting public moneys through tax breaks and land access for private developers whose entire motivation is to view health care delivery as a means for profit. They view health care as a commodity to be traded as any other, bought and sold on the market. Is the Taoiseach aware that of those who seek access to the sites currently on offer, ten of which have been identified, there is a company called Triad bidding for at least six of them whose parent company in the United States had to pay $1.7 billion in fines to the United States justice department in settlement of a raft of criminal and civil charges brought against it by the United States Government? Are these the types of people and is this the type of system the Government wishes to impose on our acute hospital system?

I urge the Taoiseach to do something at this late stage, even in the mouth of a general election. Here he is in the last months of the Government, despite all the lessons in regard to Eircom and Aer Lingus——

I ask Deputy Ó Caoláin to give way to the Taoiseach.

Now we see the privatisation of hospital care in this State and the people being considered to take responsibility for it having such an absolutely objectionable record. What will the Taoiseach do about this?

The accusations Deputy Ó Caoláin made about a certain company have been denied by it.

We have had private medicine in this country since the second half of the 17th century. I understand it was introduced by Dean Jonathan Swift and it has developed ever since.

People were being transported in the 17th century. The Taoiseach should get his history right.

The Taoiseach should be allowed to continue without interruption.

It is incorrect to say private health care is only now being introduced.

People were also being transported when Deputy Michael D. Higgins was in government; many were forced to leave the country.

I ask Members on both sides of the House to allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

Deputy Ó Caoláin objects to the proposal that private beds available only for private use in public hospitals should be replaced by public beds for the use of public patients. I had expected most Members, particularly Deputy Ó Caoláin, to see the significant benefit in having all public beds in public hospitals available fully and exclusively for public use. I thought that was a progressive measure, but it is interesting to see that Sinn Féin is not in favour of that and wishes to continue with the position where there are public and private beds in public hospitals. That is the clear position.

It is the logic of Deputy Ó Caoláin's argument.

The Minister for Health and Children will provide these private beds on the same campuses as public hospitals at half the cost of the conventional provision of new beds and in a far shorter timeframe. This means we will have a better mix of health care. It is a progressive approach and will accommodate more public patients.

I also take this opportunity to point out the significant increases and improvements we have made in recent months across a range of health care services. These include improvements in accident and emergency services and various palliative care areas, the provision of new beds in the new facilities being constructed, the employment of new staff to assist in alleviating the accident and emergency situation, improvements in home care packages and so on. The National Treatment Purchase Fund is of significant assistance and is an example of using the private sector to assist people on public waiting lists. Almost 50,000 patients have been treated in this way.

All these improvements are helping us move to where we want to go. Some difficulties remain but we are dealing with them and they can all ultimately be overcome. Accident and emergency services have been improved and other initiatives were introduced. I do not understand, therefore, why Deputy Ó Caoláin or anybody else would be opposed to the provision of private beds on the same campuses as public hospitals. All this will do is enhance the overall services by providing better facilities for patients in public hospitals and enhancing the mix of health care provision. Irish people have shown they wish to avail of private health insurance, which is their entitlement, and they are entitled to the necessary facilities.

The Taoiseach says we are moving to where he wants us to go in terms of the health service. On this issue as with so many others, the Taoiseach has no idea where he is going. We want to see an end to the piggybacking of private health care in the public health system. There is nothing wrong with the provision of private health care, either in respect of those who want it and those who want to provide it. The problem is the abuse by this Government of taxpayers' money. The public system, funded by the taxpayer, should not bail out private health care developers, and that is exactly what is happening.

Is that Fianna Fáil policy and is the Taoiseach proud of that? When he makes the point about Dean Swift, does he think the electorate and public are all Lilliputians? The reality is that the public is aware of what he is proposing. People throughout the length and breadth of the State are talking about this issue and are furious about it.

What we see is the total abandonment of the commitments made by the Taoiseach and his colleagues in government prior to the last general election and before that, where he clearly indicated the need and the commitment to provide 3,000 additional beds within the public health system. There have, however, only been identifiably 535 since 2001. Moreover, there is now a marked difference between that stated objective of the Government, particularly the Minister, and the view of the HSE chief executive officer, Professor Brendan Drumm, who says it is nonsense, that we do not need those beds. Where is the truth in all of this and where does the Government stand in regard to the utterances of Professor Drumm, who seems now to be more in charge of our health system than the Minister for Health and Children, who is supposed to be democratically accountable to the people? The Taoiseach, in turn——

Deputy Ó Caoláin should use shorter sentences.

What was the question?

The nonsense that the Taoiseach trundles out in answer to questions will not wash on this issue or any other.

Deputy Ó Caoláin's time is concluded.

I ask him to face up to his responsibilities, abandon this madcap plan and invest all public money in the public hospital and health care system. That is what it is there for.

There are now 1,500 more beds in the public system than when I was elected Taoiseach.

Deputy Ó Caoláin went almost five minutes over time. He should allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

The Deputy has asked the questions, and perhaps I will be able to answer them.

There are now 1,500 more beds in the system. The Deputy is incorrect to say that such sites are given away. They are not given away. They are either purchased or leased and provide good quality facilities. In many cases, the State can buy those services under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, from which 50,000 people have benefited.

It is privatisation.

We have removed private beds from public hospitals and put them into it.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh is not the leader of his party. His leader is quite competent to deal with one question and does not need the Deputy's help.

Compared with September 2005, the average number of patients awaiting admission to accident and emergency departments is down by approximately 50%. The Deputy makes the point that we should be putting more resources into the public system. We have increased the amount allocated from approximately €3 billion to over €12 billion and increased staffing levels by 50%. We have a substantial capital programme of €500 million a year in the public hospital system. The Deputy will not acknowledge any of that, but he berates the fact that, through tax incentives, we are helping some private operations in the country to provide a service for the thousands who want it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. All the figures and activities regarding inpatients, outpatients, home care packages and palliative care packages show that we are increasing numbers and capacity all the time for public patients.

The Deputy's arguments do not hold up. His basic point is that he objects to the current private beds being removed from public hospitals.

That is nonsense.

Please allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

The Deputy's point seems to be that those who use VHI and BUPA and those public patients in neither but who benefit from the National Treatment Purchase Fund should not be entitled to do so. That is a wrong analysis. We may still have some problems to deal with, but that analysis is a nonsense.

That concludes Leaders' Questions. The Chair draws the attention of the House to the fact that 21 minutes are provided for the three leaders' questions, but we have taken more than twice that time this morning. I appeal to leaders to try to stay within the allotted time, otherwise change the relevant Standing Order.