The situation in our health service is a cause of grave concern with the hospitals in disarray and waiting lists increasing to an extraordinary degree, in particular in the children's hospitals where they are up to three to four years. The primary care system is at a very poor level. Morale is shockingly low in general practice and it has been said we will not be able recruit people for rural general practice shortly. Consultants cannot be recruited by hospitals and key staff are not being recruited. The system is grossly dysfunctional and this is before the impact of the €1 billion cut in the health service plan.

At the weekend, I picked up on a drip-drip sort of leaking around the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance. The Taoiseach has given commitments in the House for quite some time on the publication of the White Paper on Universal Health Insurance but there has been very little consultation between the Minister and spokespeople on health. No one knows what is going on in health; there is no sense of governance or of anyone being in charge. As a result, I have never seen operating morale at such a level low. Will the Taoiseach indicate when this long awaited White Paper on Universal Health Insurance will be published?

A short time ago, the Taoiseach generously offered that he would publish the financial model governing the levying of water charges well in advance of the local elections which means that has to happen in March, April or May. Will the Taoiseach indicate whether that financial model will be published in April, May or even March? Will he arrange Government time for a debate on the model he will put forward?

I expect it will be published in good time before May. The Deputy asked for a week-----

Will it be March or April?

I would say certainly the back end of March or certainly April, which it will have to be. A great deal of work has been done on it and it can be dealt with by way of discussion, conversation and statements in the House.

A debate, maybe.

We will have a debate on it in the House. That financial and business model will set out how the Government sees the costs applicable here are only in the interests of consumers. I assure the Deputy a great deal of work is going on. The Deputy might have a look at his own proposal to retain the 34 entities. All of those issues, including agreements for 12 years, are on the table in terms of consideration of the preparation of the financial and the business model.

What about the charges, or the amount people will have to pay?

That will all be part of that.

The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance is due for publication in the next couple of weeks. I understand it is practically concluded. The implementation of the White Paper will not be able to be introduced until the start of the next Government.

Why is that?

It was never intended to introduce it in one period of office. There is a lot of preparation to be done. I expect the White Paper will be published in the next couple of weeks. People will have time for full consultation and plenty of analysis on it because there will be a lot involved.