In his political messages and speeches to the people and this Dáil, the truth simply does not matter to the Taoiseach. He will say anything to get elected. He will say anything to cover up something. He will deny reality and the truth when it stares him in the face. Language means nothing-----

We do not normally attack people by saying they have been telling untruths in the Chamber.

What a charge.

Language means nothing to the Taoiseach. He breaks promise after promise-----

Fourteen years.

-----believing that media management will take care of everything. Nowhere is this behaviour more manifest than in the Government's abandonment of universal health insurance, which was the cornerstone of its health philosophy for the past ten years and longer. The Taoiseach promised it in 2007 and in 2011. He said it would eliminate the number of people waiting on trolleys, reduce waiting times and provide equal access to all. Instead we have record numbers of people on trolleys, record waiting times and morale at an all time low in our health service.

The Taoiseach has been in denial for the past five years on this issue. In here he has kept on saying the Government would deliver universal health insurance. He even said that a time of economic crisis was the best time to deliver it. He was told repeatedly that it was unworkable by officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance. He was told this in an independent study commissioned by Fianna Fáil and offered to him by Deputy Billy Kelleher. That study raised the very same concerns KPMG and the ESRI have now raised and which have resulted in the abandonment of this policy. The Irish Medical Organisation said it would go down in history as one of the greatest mis-sellings of health policy ever.

A question, please.

Where is the Minister?

The Taoiseach dismissed all of this. He rebuked all and sundry who questioned it. The IMO said it is one of the biggest cases of political mis-selling in recent history. My question to the Taoiseach is this. How did he get it so wrong and make such a mess of it? One senior Labour Party Minister said this was an astonishing mess. He said the Labour Party was for universal health insurance in principle - as the Labour Party is for everything in principle - but not this mess.

Another fine mess.

Why would anyone believe anything the Taoiseach says on health policy ever again?

Paddy needs to know.

Would Deputy McGrath please stay quiet?

I reject Deputy Martin's assertions. The Government remains committed to the ending of a two-tier health system which clearly has inadequacies and inefficiencies. The Government is still committed to the implementation of universal health care funded by a universal health insurance model.

Is that so?

The Government commissioned the ESRI to carry out a report on the costings in respect of the universal health insurance model put forward in its programme for Government. The Government has taken into account the findings of the ESRI report and will not implement the findings of the report in respect of this particular model given the costings and the levy which would be imposed on people.

While I could quibble with elements of the ESRI report in terms of margins, transaction costs or unmet needs costs, the fact of the matter is that far from ignoring the truth, reality and reports, the Government takes into account the findings of the ESRI report and I note that the author was very clear this morning when talking about this particular model of universal health insurance.

The Government and the Minister intend to continue on the path of reform which has been under way for a number of years. We will commission further work as envisaged by the ESRI in its report. Other models of funding should be, can be and will be examined. From Government's perspective, we want to continue to hold to the ending of the two-tier health system. We want to introduce universal access to health care based on medical need and we will continue to look at funding models which are different to this particular model examined by the ESRI. The ESRI produced its findings at the request of Government, which commissioned this report, following the publication of the universal health insurance White Paper published in 2014. That is slightly different from Fianna Fáil's programme for health, which was rejected by Deputy Martin's author.

George Washington once said it is better to offer no excuse than a bad one. I respectfully put to the Taoiseach that what I said at the outset is reflected again in his reply. Language means absolutely nothing to him. He will say anything. He has just now said he does not propose to implement the findings of the ESRI report. The ESRI report is an evaluation of the model that his Government and he approved in the White Paper 18 months ago. Does the Taoiseach get that?

Yes, but he said a lot then.

Deputy Martin never fails to amaze me.

The ESRI, KPMG and others have said what the Taoiseach was proposing in his model and said represented value for money would potentially cost a family with up to two children approximately €8,000 to €9,000 and would cost the State approximately €6.5 billion. Now the Taoiseach comes in here and says the Government is no longer doing "that" model. The Taoiseach spent ten years telling the people that he was going to implement that model-----

What has Deputy Martin's model done?

-----but he did no research. There was no blueprint, because it did not matter. The truth did not matter to the Taoiseach before the last election and it did not matter to him for the past five years.

Will Deputy Martin put his question, please?

The Taoiseach did not have a bull's notion how he was going to get there-----

Will Deputy Martin put his question?

-----and he still does not know, because he just talks about models.

Will the Deputy put his question?

I will indeed. I put it to the Taoiseach that the Labour Party Minister is correct that this is an astonishing mess.

Where is the Labour Party Minister?

The Minister said the Labour Party was for universal health insurance in principle but not this mess-----

Deputy Martin is over time. Will he put his question?

He said there are still large chunks missing and asked how we can have an intelligent conversation when we have no figures.

Is Deputy Martin going to put his question or not?

He said that last year. That is the key point. The Taoiseach does not believe in the public having an intelligent conversation about anything to do with policy or health.

Deputy Martin and his party did it for 14 years.

He believes in delusion. He underfunded the health service. He created-----

Deputy Martin created the HSE.

Deputy Martin is not listening to me. He is way over time. Will he put his supplementary question?

-----the long waiting lists and the trolley numbers but covered it all up by saying that there will be a grand universal health insurance plan, but it will not be delivered within the next ten years.

The Taoiseach should tell the truth for once on this issue. He broke his promise and has failed in this key area of Government policy.

The IMF and the troika are not here.

Paddy is not happy, Taoiseach. He is not happy.

Settle down. There is no point in getting excited. Would you all settle down, please? Allow the Taoiseach to reply.

I recall Deputy Martin's words when he occupied the Department of Health about the extent of money being put into it. He said there was never going to be enough. I recall him saying he would end waiting lists for once and for all.

The Taoiseach said it would end here.

I recall his personnel, payroll and related systems, PPARS.

We got an awful lot more done than the Taoiseach.

I recall so many things but, at the end of the day, Deputy Martin is the only Minister for Health I can remember who denied responsibility for anything that happened in the Department.

Where is your Minister?

The Deputy ran away from it.

The Taoiseach is out on a wing on this one.

The Taoiseach is Han Solo.

Please stay quiet.

Where is the Labour Party today?

I will return to the Deputy's central charge. Yes, the Government commissioned the ESRI to conduct a study on the implications of funding in respect of a particular model of universal health insurance.

Your model.

It is your model. It is in the White Paper.

Yes. Is anybody infallible? Deputy Martin denied all responsibility for reports commissioned. I accept the report of the ESRI-----

It is not going to happen.

-----and the Government will not continue with that particular universal health insurance funding model.

Your model is down the drain.

The Fine Gael model.

The author of the report pointed out, as we know and as the Minister conveyed to the Government, that there are other models of multi-payer insurance funds that can be examined, and will be examined now.

The Government was told this by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It did not need this report.

In the meantime, we have the challenge of reform and structural changes ranging from hospital groups to money follows the patient and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs-----

Waiting lists.

Yes, there are waiting lists-----

Children are waiting three years for an intervention.

-----and there is the question of trolleys, the fair deal and the medical cards. All of these matters will have to be dealt with in any event in respect of whatever alternative funding model is put in place.

The Taoiseach provided dishonest budgets for three years.

The Deputy's model is to increase tax and continue with an inefficient two-tier system.

Yours will be much more efficient if you will not treat the people. More will die.

Ours is universal health care funded by universal health insurance, a particular form of money. I reject the Deputy's assertions.

Your efficiency is to let them die.