Before the last general election, the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, personally led a deeply cynical campaign on health promises and health issues. Across the length and breadth of the country, he promised that he and Fine Gael would ensure that no one lost any services and that a set of new, free services would be provided. Upon his appointment, the Minister announced the abolition of the management structures of the health services and that he was taking personal charge, but they have been leaderless and lacking governance ever since. He announced that waiting lists would reduce, prescriptions would be cheaper and free GP care for all was on the way. Since then, waiting lists have lengthened, prescriptions are just as expensive and the extension of free GP care is nowhere to be seen, despite being announced numerous times. He presented a false and dishonest budget to the House last year. He was warned repeatedly about this and was alerted about the crippling position regarding the health finances but did absolutely nothing except to repeat the mantra that front line services would be protected, while he already was implementing disproportionate and unfair cuts on the most vulnerable.

There is a deep sense of despair across the health sector in hospitals and community care. Members of the Government, as well as backbenchers, have been quoted left right and centre across the media as criticising the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and in particular his recent announcements in respect of cuts to those with disabilities. They have described those cuts in that announcement as being a catastrophe and regrettable. One Labour Party Minister was accused of having stated that "he should have had [I will translate - the liathróidí] to... announce the cuts himself, not hide behind one of his HSE lackeys". There is no precedent for a situation in which a Taoiseach praises a Minister for being brave in reversing cuts while the Minister simultaneously still is claiming the cuts never actually happened. The Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, at least has been honest about the failure by the Minister, Deputy Reilly, to manage the health budget by, for example, not negotiating a new agreement with the pharmaceutical sector.

I ask the Deputy to conclude the question please.

She even offered to chair those negotiations herself. However, she wrote to the Minister on 27 July asking for a report and stating she had no delegated statutory authority in respect of primary care and that she had not been consulted with regard to any matter pertaining to the budget.

I put it to the Taoiseach that the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, was asked specifically a number of times whether she had confidence in the Minister, Deputy Reilly, on Newstalk, on "Morning Ireland" and in newsprint. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, also were asked, in newsprint. All of them refused to state, very simply, "I have confidence in the Minister, Deputy James Reilly".

The Deputy is over time.

I ask the Taoiseach whether the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, is correct in stating the Government's commitment to health reform genuinely is being questioned because of the Minister's lack of proactive engagement with the issues.

Will the Taoiseach comment on reports that there will be numerous cutbacks in hospitals? Will he outline to the House how hospital deficits will be dealt with between now and December? Is he aware of planned closure of wards?

The Deputy is anticipating the motion of no confidence in the Minister, Deputy Reilly, tabled by his party. I understand Fianna Fáil had some kind of think-in in recent days because I seem to have heard this comment and statement from the Deputy. He said the Minister, Deputy Reilly, introduced a deeply cynical budget, which I reject. He made three points: that he committed to waiting lists being reduced, that prescriptions would be cheaper and that free GP care would be on the way. Those are the three charges he made and he has repeated them on numerous occasions.

It is reasonable to say that no one would be in a position to clear up the extent of the mess that was left behind after the Deputy and his colleagues removed themselves - or were removed by the people - from these benches. For his information, with regard to waiting list progress, for instance, there has been a reduction of 225 in the number of patients waiting on trolleys between January and September of this year when compared with the same period last year. That equates to 13,450 fewer patients waiting on trolleys. In addition, the number of adults having to wait more than 12 months for inpatient and day case surgery has reduced by 85% and the number waiting more than nine months has reduced by 63%. Those are not cynical allegations but are facts.

In respect of cheaper prescriptions, the legislation on reference pricing for drugs was introduced in the Seanad in July and will recommence there tomorrow.

It is a good job we still have it.

The Committee and Remaining Stages of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012 will be taken tomorrow. I assure Deputy Martin and everyone else that given the extent of legislation published and introduced into the House in the last period, this is a priority for this session and it starts again tomorrow.

In regard to free GP care, this is a little behind time, I admit. The legislation agenda is published today and this item is on the A list. The Government considered this and it is a priority. Work continues on that Bill to get it into the House as quickly as we can in order that free GP care can be extended to persons with prescribed illnesses. In addition, legislation to abolish restrictions on GPs wishing to become contractors under the General Medical Services, GMS, scheme is now in place.

Those are the three issues Deputy Martin raised and with which he bombarded his party at its think-in. Those are his answers.

Fundamentally I asked the Taoiseach two core questions. First, does the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, have genuine confidence in the Minister, Deputy Reilly? That relates to very fractious correspondence between the two in July and May, when the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, confirmed that despite seeking delegated authority on primary care, she had been frustrated time and again by the Minister, Deputy Reilly.

Furthermore, I did not say the Minister's budget was cynical. I said his election campaigning was cynical. I said his budget was false and dishonest. I agree with the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall. The Minister pencilled in €124 million for pharmaceuticals, another €140 for health insurance companies and €100 million for halving the agency staff.

The Deputy should get his facts right.

The Minister did not do a single thing in regard to any of those in the first eight months of this year, knowing full well that those targets were not realisable. That is why I charged that it was a false budget and that is what has put the health service into the crisis in which it finds itself this year in terms of finances.

The Taoiseach mentioned waiting lists. The cynical thing the Minister did on waiting lists was to change the targets and timelines. World benchmarks are three months and six months. He went out to nine months and 12 months-----

A question, please.

-----above which there are very few people, and then he quotes percentages. The key targets and objectives of the National Treatment Purchase Fund and its achievements over the years were dramatically reducing those on waiting lists for more than three months and six months. Since the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has come to office those waiting lists-----

There has been a 66% reduction.

-----have escalated and gone through the roof.

What about people with disabilities? What did the Government do for them?

It is not just those on this side of the House who have deep misgivings about how the Minister, Deputy Reilly, is acting. One Labour Minister is quoted as saying: "Several times I have tried to work with him on a number of things and he appears to be so partisan that if you're not one of his cronies, he doesn't want to know. I don't have that problem with any other Fine Gael Minister." Another Labour Minister said: "I would have some respect for him, but it was so [expletive deleted] cowardly, and for the amount of money involved, the heat we're all going to get from this is farcical."

Dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean léi.

"The first I heard of the cuts was the HSE announcement," said the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock. "Everyone else has managed to live with Croke Park and keep within budget. What is so special about James Reilly?" asked one senior figure. I ask the Taoiseach to read any newspaper in the past three weeks. The benches here deserted that man in droves in recent weeks and left him isolated because of his mismanagement of the emergency services. It is unprecedented that when Ministers are asked the simple question as to whether they have confidence in a fellow colleague, a senior Minister, Deputy Burton, and Ministers of State, Deputies Jan O'Sullivan and Shortall, could not articulate confidence in a senior colleague. That is the bottom line.

I call the Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach would be well advised not to be attacking this side of the House but to reflect on what is, unfortunately and regrettably, a common refrain across this House irrespective of party or constituency in terms of the management of the health service in 2012.

I call the Taoiseach.

Deputy Martin ran away.

Let the Taoiseach answer.

Do we have a new Ceann Comhairle now?

No, a new leader.

It is a bit rich for Deputy Martin to come into the House on the resumption of parliamentary business and talk about cynicism and misleading information and comments. Does he belong to a party that told the people they would have the cheapest bailout in history? Did I hear that from his party? Does the Deputy bear that brand on his forehead?

Fine Gael voted for it.

Order, please.

The cheapest bailout in history.

The new Minister for Health will not pay for one-----

I remind Deputy Healy-Rae that this is Leaders' Questions.

Deputy Martin never bothered-----

Do they have confidence?

Order, please.

Deputy Martin never bothered to look at what his Government created when it set up the original structure of the HSE. I want to tell him something now.

I want to tell the Taoiseach something about the files in the Taoiseach's office that were shredded. Is that a figment of his imagination, Lenin coming to Ireland in 1922?

Deputy Martin-----

The only reason the Deputy wants to take the course he is now taking is that he is terrified of the party on his right-hand side and his opportunism knows no bounds.

I think the Taoiseach is terrified of some of those on his left-hand side.

Who is coming second in the opinion polls?

The motion of no confidence takes place this evening and tomorrow. There will be a vote on it and he can be assured of the Minister and his Ministers of State speaking in his defence-----

Speaking in his defence?

-----and the Fine Gael and Labour parties supporting the work of the Minister for Health as he goes about his duties in so far as his remit is concerned.

I ask Deputy Martin to look at the consequence of what his Government created. He should go down to Kiltimagh in my county.

Roscommon.

Nenagh.

The Taoiseach without interruptions, please.

The Taoiseach promised them left, right and centre, and was caught out on tape.

He stood in the square.

He should go down and speak-----

He swore blind in here that he gave them no promise, but the tape appeared and he was recorded making a very definitive commitment.

Does the Deputy want to hear the truth?

-----to the proprietor of Home Care Medicals and walk into its warehouse. There is at least €3 million worth of equipment in that warehouse that has not been used for three years because of the bureaucracy that the Deputy's Government set up when the HSE was implemented in the first place.

The Taoiseach has been in government for a year and a half. Why does he not do something about it?

Please-----

Each piece of that equipment has been decontaminated, packed and barcoded. However, simply because of the structure Deputy Martin's Government set up, people throughout the country have not been able to access beds, mattresses, hoists or wheelchairs.

Whom is the Taoiseach codding?

We had endless recurring purchasing within the structure of the HSE. The Deputy should go down and have a look at it. That will change because I informed the Minister, Deputy Reilly, of it last night.

That is not a big medical crisis.

Does Deputy Martin realise that a mattress for one of these beds costs €1,000-----

Does the Taoiseach realise that every penny spent on those mattresses is-----

Order, please.

The number of trolleys or mattresses will not resolve the problem.

Are we going to face more ward closures? Can the Taoiseach confirm that?

What was Fianna Fáil's plan?

-----of which there are 500? Does the Deputy realise that 147 people are currently waiting for one of these beds, which they could have in their own homes?

The Taoiseach is diverting from the core question.

In terms of the structure which Deputy Martin set up, he never bothered to look at the monster he created. That is all going to change now.

The Deputy raised three points.

He will raise another three later.

Waiting lists are down 22%, or 13,450 patients in the past 12 months. In respect of day surgery, the list is down 85% and the waiting list in respect of those waiting more than nine months is down by 63%. The legislation in respect of cheaper prescriptions is back before the Seanad tomorrow and will be taken here as quickly as possible.

Will there be ward closures?

The legislation will be taken in the Seanad tomorrow and will be taken in this House as quickly as possible.

Will there be ward closures?

The legislation in regard to GP care is a matter of priority.

Will there be ward closures?

Fianna Fáil can have its vote of confidence and will see the result.

Will there be ward closures?

I call Deputy Gerry Adams.

I have asked the Taoiseach five times if there will be ward closures.

Deputy Martin will have to ask him again.

Order, please. I have called Deputy Adams.