I share Senator MacSharry’s concern about the decision by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, to call for strike action to commence on 15 December. This will cause great stress and worry for many patients, particularly elderly people, during the winter. While I can appreciate much of the frustration of nurses regarding the continued overcrowding in hospitals and, in some instances, the limited resources available, very significant progress is being made. The emergency department task force plan is taking effect and there are 20% fewer people on trolleys today than was the case 12 months ago. A total of 197 hospital beds have been opened since October, with 44 more to open in the next two weeks. Almost 760 more nurses have been employed since this time last year and a recent overseas recruitment drive has given rise to 400 definite expressions of interest, which is good news in the context of the acute shortage of nursing personnel. I hope that between now and 15 December all parties will make use of the Workplace Relations Commission to resolve the outstanding issues. I understand that apart from those relating to overcrowding and staffing, there are other issues that need to be addressed. I hope the INMO and the Health Service Executive, HSE, management will redouble their efforts to ensure that a binding agreement that will make industrial action unnecessary will be put in place. These matters must be sorted out around a table and the old, the sick and those who depend on hospital services do not deserve to be put under pressure and stress coming into winter. A solution must be found. I hope this proposed industrial action for 15 December will be called off.

I, too, call for a debate on health care with the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. Opposition Senators and some Government Senators have been calling for this for almost a year and it has not happened. It is not fair to say to nurses because they are pondering strike action as a last resort that they are putting older persons at risk or that they are responsible for what is happening. Government Senators have to take responsibility for what is happening in the health service.

I invite Senator Mullins to visit University Hospital Waterford or any of the hospitals in the State that are under fierce pressure because of a lack of capacity. We do not need a debate but more beds in public hospitals, more nurses, more junior doctors, more consultants and more capacity. That is the only way we will reduce pressure in accident and emergency departments. Anybody who understands health care will say that if one has real problems in the accident and emergency department then there will be problems everywhere in the hospital because that is where all of the problems come together at that same time. This situation is a symptom of what is wrong across the health service where we have a lack of investment in primary care, community nursing units and geriatric care facilities. We still do not have many of the community nursing units that were promised. That includes a 100-bed unit that was promised for Waterford which has still not been delivered. The Government is responsible for these problems.

I welcome a debate but let us be honest. The people who are lying on hospital trolleys, despite what the Government's representatives say, do not want politicians to keep talking and going around in circles on this issue. Instead, they want delivery, results, action and more resources but the time to do all of that was in the last budget. Let us look at what this Government did. A sum of €180 million was given to the top 14% of income earners yet only a fraction of that, in additional moneys, was put into the health service. That is what the Government did and its Senators should take responsibility. I would welcome a debate on the issue and believe we must hold the Minister for Health to account. The Government promised that it would bring in real reform of the HSE and all the rest. The Government has done precious little. In fact, it has abandoned its policy for universal health insurance. We need to invite the Minister in here to discuss these issues and what has really created the problems in the health service. I say to Senator Mullins that the nurses, junior doctors or consultants have not created the problems but the politicians in power who have not done what they said they would do.