Táim chun ceist a ardú ar chúrsaí sláinte. Is mór an náire í an gheamaireacht atá ar bun faoi láthair agus tá sí ag baint aird ar fad de na príomh cheisteanna sláinte atá sa tír go gcaithfear a dhíriú orthu. The pantomime in which Deputy James Reilly is the main protagonist would be funny if it was not so serious. It is taking the focus away from the serious health issues we have here, including: some 130,000 patients waiting a year or more to be seen; 60,000 patients waiting four years or more to be seen; the highest prices in northern Europe for unpatented medicines; generic drugs 12 times more expensive than in Britain; salary caps ignored by the Minister's special adviser and external consultants; primary care centres not built; the first Minister ever to be listed in Stubbs Gazette; and some €750 million removed from the health budget in 2012, resulting in cuts in all areas, and a further €130 million removed in August. It is scandalous this is happening on the watch of Government Senators and we need to do something about this quickly.

My colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, brought some new information on Balbriggan to our attention, which is interesting and useful in the wider picture. However, it raises the question - if the land was available since 2002 - of where the primary care centre for Balbriggan should have been built under the watch of Fianna Fáil. I am sure the Senator will answer that question.

It is important that we have a debate on the issue of confidence in the Minister for Health. I am aware there was such a debate in the other House, but things have changed substantially since then. I call on the Leader to allow us have a debate of confidence - no confidence from our side or confidence from the Government side - in the Minister. I would like to know more about his Einstein-like capabilities for algorithms, particularly with regard to how he figured out how to put two primary care centres in his constituency.

In the wake of statements on Twitter or on social networks from two Labour Party MEPs, I would also like to know where the Labour Party stands on this issue. Are there two Labour parties? Are those MEPs in a different party? Are they in some kind of independent European Labour Party? Why is the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, so quiet on this issue? Will he issue a statement? When will he stand up for the people of this country in the way he promised before the election and address the issues I highlighted earlier? They are the real issues. The Minister does not appear capable of doing his job. This issue is a distraction from Government and while that is happening, people are suffering. It is about time it stopped. A motion of confidence or no confidence and a debate on that issue is important and should be held next week if the Minister is still in place at that time.

I support Senator Ó Clochartaigh's call for a debate, but I propose a debate on a motion of confidence in the Minister. We should have that debate next week. There is significant talk on the issue and such a motion is the right thing to do. I have a lot of confidence in the Minister and believe that if he is given the opportunity, he will turn the health sector around. However, there seems to be an unending plethora of stories, some of which have little grounds whatsoever.

We should also debate the issue of AIB and the increase of 0.5% in the variable rate on the mortgage book. What is happening is scandalous. AIB is trying to make its profit on the back of people, most of whom did not participate in the Celtic tiger boom. To put this in context, a mortgage of €300,000 will cost an extra €90 per month or over €1,000 per year. The moneys that AIB will take in over the year will amount to approximately €75 million extra as a result of that 0.5% increase. That amounts to half the household charge. Many Senators, mostly on this side of the House, have gone nuts over that charge, but very few are saying anything about this increase. This is AIB robbing its customers of substantial moneys. We should ask the Minister for Finance to come here to explain this, and I speak as Fine Gael spokesperson on finance in this regard. This increase is scandalous.

We have long known that the two public interest directors of AIB appointed by the Minister and previous Ministers have been asleep at the wheel. Another AIB director has been appointed, a former CEO of KBC Bank, who I am told is a mortgage expert. It is no coincidence that a few weeks after we have a mortgage expert going on the board of AIB, these rates are increased. This is disgraceful and I call on the Minister for Finance to come to the House to discuss the issue.

I join others on the Government side who have called for a debate of confidence in the Minister for Health. The sideshow has gone on for far too long. We have overruns of some €300 million and there are concerns all over the country. We are unanimous that we want these primary care centres built as quickly as possible, in whatever order the criteria dictate and resources permit. However, the gobbledegook and misinformation of the past week or ten days must come to an end. We see this from the courageous MEPs, Nessa Childers and Phil Prendergast, who have said "Enough is enough" from a Labour Party perspective. I support that position. Sometimes people with leadership step out from the crowd and take a stand when necessary. This is what is necessary now.

I hope Labour Party Senators can prevail upon the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, to put an end to this sideshow. The people, as I said here last Wednesday, are fully behind any Minister. They fully understand that cuts and savings must be made, but they are entitled to have confidence in the actions and activity of the Minister on their behalf. I fear the actions and activity of the past two weeks have done nothing other than ensure uncertainty among people, further ambiguity and doubt that this person can do this job on their behalf. If Fine Gael persists in keeping its head in the sand, the Labour Party has an obligation, on behalf of ordinary people, to take the opportunity to take steps on behalf of the people and to put somebody in command of the €12 billion that will be spent on health. They must do it before the Sunday newspapers are issued in order that people do not have to put up with another week of uncertainty or of the headless chicken approach to managing the health service.

It is interesting when Members criticise management of the health service. If one looks at where we have come from, we allowed the drugs bill to increase from €576 million to €1.9 billion a year without any check being made and a health system to develop in which fewer than 10% of the people in charge of managing finance within the HSE had a financial management qualification. That happened under their watch. They talked about the site being identified in 2002. Ten years on nothing has yet been built.

The Minister thought the site had actually been acquired in the previous term.

In the last 18 months the health budget has been reduced by €1.75 billion because we have to respond to what the taxpayer can afford to pay. In Galway we have reduced the waiting list from 9,000 people waiting longer than 12 months to 900. These are the facts.

What about the situation in Letterkenny?

What about free GP care?

The number of people with medical cards has increased from 1,146,000 to 1,800,000. That is what we are dealing with in the health service. That is the reality.

It is because people are losing their jobs. That is the only reason.

I would have no difficulty in having a debate to express confidence in the Minister because he is dealing with the real issues. He has set up the special delivery unit which is dealing with issues in hospitals to make them more efficient and get better value for taxpayers. Let us have a debate about the facts.

Let us put the Minister forward for "This Is Your Life".

We will do what Members opposite did not do for ten years.