There are other issues pertaining to the Order of Business and we could discuss them today. For example, on Monday, The Irish Times revealed the HSE submission on health funding and what it wants for the health budget this year.

We cannot discuss that.

On the Order of Business, I asked time and again leading up to the budget and afterwards for that submission. I kept saying "Will you give me the HSE submission?" so we could have a proper and honest debate about the health budget. The Taoiseach refused.

It was only by order of the information officer that The Irish Times received the HSE's submission on the budget. We have the Minister for self-importance, Deputy Brendan Howlin, announcing freedom of information legislation and saying the Government will give all of the information we want, but it gives nothing. Information on health funding has to be dragged out of the Government all the time. It is only this week that we read about it.

We cannot have a long debate on this issue.

I ask for Dáil time to discuss the health budget. It is clear from HIQA's report that the Government starved Portlaoise hospital of the funding it needed and should have received in accordance with the announcement made by the former Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, at the joint committee to the effect that it was a band 3 hospital. HIQA stated it had never received the funding required to be a band 3 hospital. The Government gave €500 million to the health service at the end of last year, having left it €500 million short throughout the entire year. In two months of this year and three months after the budget, the Government added €70 million. We are not given any opportunity to discuss the health budget, nor do we receive any information on it. Instead of inactivity, I ask for Dáil time to discuss this very important issue.