The Minister is continually hiding behind the Health Service Executive and has failed to do her duty.

The Taoiseach mentioned extra beds. Perhaps he could take this matter to the Minister for Health and Children. We are now faced with the closure of a medical ward in James Connolly Memorial Hospital for a full month in the summer; the closure of a surgical ward in the same hospital for a full month in the summer; the cancellation of all outpatient clinics for two full weeks in summer and December in James Connolly Memorial Hospital; the halving of beds in two wards in Tallaght from 60 to 30 from next week; the cancellation from June of "hospital in the home" which allows patients to be discharged home early; reduced services in Monaghan and Dundalk without any extra resources being put into Cavan or Drogheda; respite services being cut; and cancer services being cut in Sligo and in Mayo without being replaced. There is a consistent pattern here with hundreds of patients from all over the country now streaming into Deputies' clinics because they cannot get medicines from 1 May. Fianna Fáil Deputies are saying this is a matter for the HSE. As outlined by Deputies Jan O'Sullivan and James Reilly at the Joint Committee on Health and Children, the Minister for Health and Children instructed the HSE to get on with it.

All of these cuts indicate either that the Taoiseach does not know or that the Tánaiste and incoming Taoiseach does not care. In the final hours left to him in the powerful position as Taoiseach, will he take aside the Minister for Health and Children, who has been a loyal servant to him over the years, and ask her to direct the Health Service Executive, as is within her authority, to produce a plan to reject front-line cuts in services for thousands of patients across the country? If he does that before he leaves office he will at least have done some good given that we have a health crisis being presided over by the Minister for Health and Children who will not accept any responsibility for it but passes the buck continually to the Health Service Executive.

Hear, hear.

A Cheann Comhairle——

Deputy Kenny marched against——

Allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

What about Deputy Kenny only five months ago?

You should hear what they say behind your back.

Allow the Taoiseach to answer.

They are still marching.

I state again what I have said many times. In the 53 public and acute hospitals we have provided and continue to provide additional resources.

It is not working.

It has not been a question of cutbacks in the service.

It has made reductions.

We have continued to employ more people.

More bureaucratic information.

We have continued working with the trade unions to deal with the issue of last September's embargo and we have delivered increased capital expenditure into several developments in those hospitals and will continue to do that. Like every organisation the HSE has to live within the budget agreed in its own plan. It has to manage that throughout the year. Last year there was criticism in the House when it only started doing that in the last quarter. If it is doing it over a longer period of a year, that is the correct thing to do.

There are 130,000 people working full-time or part-time in our public health service. The Government's ongoing investment in the health service has increased every year that I have been here. We have increased the numbers of doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals employed in the public health service. We have invested heavily in the education of front-line staff in personnel to ensure a sufficient supply graduates.

And getting nowhere.

We are continuing to do that. They are in several locations around the country. There is €200 million on the capital programme for this year which has been allocated. We have increased the number of beds. I was answering about the difficulties in the delayed discharges. The reality is we have recently provided 200 contracted beds in private nursing homes, 180 of which were in Dublin. They have now been filled. We are far from cutting back on this issue. We have seen the phased opening of facilities at St. Mary's and Cherry Orchard Hospital and, between them, they will provide 170 beds. These facilities require staff and additional resources. Given the significant number of beds planned for this year and the associated recruitment involved, every unit will require additional staff. While the HSE must manage its budget, this will not stop the extension and development of services in new locations. The House should take account of this aspect.

There are cutbacks in other areas and there is no home help available.