Between Galway and St. Vincent's hospitals, there were 100 a year, but as a country we should be carrying out 1,000 on people who are extremely obese. The Taoiseach says 20 is good enough.

The Deputy is twisting my words.

These are life-saving operations and save time and are efficient. In the context of acute services, they remove many of the expenses attached. The Taoiseach should intervene immediately. Professor O'Shea is correct. That something like this can happen reveals a telling lack of leadership within the health system.

Will the Deputy, please, put his question?

Life-saving operations should not be stopped. Does the Taoiseach accept that the figures produced in the budget for this year were false and that this is why we are having issues across the spectrum of management of health services? Will he intervene to get operations to treat obesity back on track at St. Vincent's University Hospital?

The Deputy's assertion that there should be 1,000 operations a year to treat obesity is the politics of failure.

It is not my assertion; it is the assertion of Professor O'Shea.

The Taoiseach is failing because he is not doing it.

I am not an expert in the requirement for surgery, unlike Professor O'Shea who is making a point that there is insufficient money available to perform the number of operations he thinks should be carried out. I am not going to quibble with the consultant's professional experience as he is an expert in the field. Deputy Micheál Martin knows that, as a nation, we have a challenge facing us in terms of the health initiatives taken in the management of people's lives, their diet and activity levels. The consultant also points out that it takes up a lot of time.

These are emergency operations.

I am not in a position to determine the question of the number of such operations that need to be carried out. The figures produced in the budget were always known to be challenging.

False.

We said this at the very beginning and I have already pointed out that there will be a necessity to have a supplementary budget in 2014. On more than one occasion I have pointed out that the major issues which for years were never tackled are now being tackled and that serious progress has been made.

The Government has had three years.

Fianna Fáil had 14 years to wreck the country. Is the party looking for an MEP?

The Deputy broke a promise also.

Of course, it is not to everyone's satisfaction and the Department of Health is being tackled as part of the major initiative to get the health service right. Deputy Micheál Martin failed in his responsibility to deal with many of these issues. As we move toward universal health insurance in the next few years, the cost, effects and benefits will be seen by everyone. This is a broad spectrum and the Deputy wants an answer to every question now. These are issues he never went near when he had responsibility for them.