I assume every Member will want to congratulate the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, on coming up with a resolution that has resulted in the deferral of threatened industrial action in our accident and emergency departments, but, unfortunately, a consequence of the late resolution of the problem was that hundreds of patients across the country had their elective procedures deferred and they will join the thousands on waiting lists. This is shoddy to say the least in so far as the union gave considerable notice that it intended taking this industrial action but, unfortunately, it was not until the last minute that a compromise was arrived at. The Government parties have a habit of allowing situations to become totally chaotic before they take action.

To add insult to injury, we learned today from The Irish Times that a shortfall of €100 million is identifiable in the HSE's service plan for 2016, which will inevitably result in a failure to treat thousands of people in hospitals and a failure to meet the treatment targets set down by the Minister for Health of 15 months for adults and 20 weeks for children. It has to be accepted that the Government has not been honest in its health budgeting over the past five years. It set targets knowing they could not be met. Waiting lists and waiting times have lengthened and overcrowding in accident and emergency departments has gone from crisis to chaos.

A question, please.

The Minister for Health said that next year's budget will maintain existing levels of service but we all know what that means. Interestingly, last weekend, the chief executive officer of the HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, said, "The health service has been on death row since 2011" and there is no money, no plan and no vision. Does the Taoiseach agree with Mr. O'Brien that there is no money, no plan or no vision?

When the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, says he concurs with many of the valid points made by Mr. O'Brien, some of which the Minister has also made, is he referring to this key element of the lack of vision, money and a plan?

Gabh mo leithscéal, tá rud éigin mícheart le mo ghuth. I am glad the INMO has reached an agreement with HSE management to call off the strike. As was pointed out by the Minister for Health on a number of occasions, strike action would not deal with a single person on a trolley anywhere. It was not the Government that called the strike in the first place and I am glad the negotiations have resulted in the strike not taking place. I point out to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl that the number of people on trolleys this morning at 8 a.m. was 290, which is down 33% on this day in 2014. It is still too many but very much down. The Government recognises that working in emergency departments can be a very trying and difficult job. Recruiting and retaining staff is always a challenge. I hope the nurses and unions will vote in favour of the package agreed at the Workplace Relations Commission and that the planned action for Tuesday, 12 and Wednesday, 13 January will not arise. It is very unfortunate that this planned action resulted in the deferral of elective procedures in the hospitals concerned and that people waiting to undergo procedures today will have to go through the process again.

I do not accept that money is not being put into the health service plan. Over €13 billion has been put into it this year, which is an increase of over €800 million. I point out to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl that the service plan will be published tomorrow and the Minister has made it clear there is no diminution in any service and that there are targeted increases in services in a number of areas. That is for the good of the patient and for the benefit of the health service in general.

The question of work practices is always an issue in hospitals and the discussions surrounding that are of concern for nurses who work at the front line, doctors and management. The answer to the Deputy's question is that there is more money in there than before. There is no requirement for any diminution in service, instead services will be maintained and there will be targeted increases in a number of areas. The longer term vision is to end the two-tier system and introduce a single tier system, accessible to everybody and based on medical requirements rather than income.

The Taoiseach had a plan in 2007 to get rid of trolleys. He had a plan and made a promise to introduce universal health insurance which was abandoned last month by the Government. He got rid of the National Treatment Purchase Fund which was working effectively. The Taoiseach has agreed a plan to deal with the situation in emergency departments. It is clear that it will add to waiting times for those waiting for elective procedures. There are 16,000 people waiting for colonoscopies across the country, 3,700 of whom have been waiting more than six months. That is a totally unacceptable situation. At the weekend, the CEO of the health executive said there was no plan, vision or money in the context of the sort of multi-annual budgeting that the National Health Service in Britain has. It is an appalling indictment of the health service that the Taoiseach and his Government are operating. In 2013, we were briefed that the Taoiseach was going to personally take charge of the health service, he was going to grab it by the scruff of the neck. Does the Taoiseach accept that he, his two Ministers for Health and his Government have failed the Irish people and have been an abject failure when it comes to delivering to the Irish people the calibre of service they require?

The Deputy should look at the record of Fianna Fáil.

It was not handed over in a good shape.

I do not accept that at all and coming from the party the Deputy represents, it is meaningless. Yes, there was a plan and the plan is still-----

It is not meaningless to the people on trolleys.

The plan is to abolish an unfair two-tier system and provide a system of universal health care to be funded by a particular model of universal health insurance. We had a plan to establish hospital groups, which we have established. We had a plan to put primary care centres in situ and there are now 46 more centres around the country than in 2011. We had a plan to provide those under the age of six with free GP cards, which has been implemented. We had a plan to provide over-70s with free GP cards and that is being implemented. The next step is to introduce cards for under-12s.

We had a plan to increase staff in our health service. Almost 300 additional consultants have been appointed since 2011 and since January 2015 more than 750 nurses and 250 non-consultant hospital doctors have been recruited, which is also part of the plan. We had a plan to put money into the mental health services, which the Deputy's party never bothered with, and we trebled mental health funding and provided a suicide prevention strategy which aims to reduce suicide by 10% by 2020. We stabilised private health insurance. Fianna Fáil put the HSE together on top of all the health boards. The result was described by the chief executive as an amorphous blob - the Deputy's party created an amorphous blob.

Why did the Taoiseach not do away with it? Why did he not abolish it?

The plan is to abolish the Health Service Executive.

The Taoiseach has had five years to do it.

The Deputy has had his go. I am now calling on Deputy Adams.

Deputy Ó Fearghaíl knows that we want to provide a single tier universal health care system. To do that, all these foundations have to be put in place which takes time in the health service, as the Deputy is well aware. I disagree entirely with Deputy Ó Fearghaíl. Over €13 billion will go into the health service in 2016, which is €880 million more than in 2014. Despite the Deputy's comments, it will maintain services and provide increased services in a targeted number of areas.