These are very difficult times in the health service. I have used six hospitals in the past two months, including Temple Street Hospital for my child, as well as hospitals in Sligo, Roscommon and Galway. Unfortunately, on two occasions ambulances had to be called as advanced paramedics were required to treat my mother and another member of my family. I cannot compliment the staff and hospitals involved highly enough for their professionalism and the urgency shown. Therefore, very good things are happening. I do not think anger will help in sorting out the difficult issues that need to be addressed in the health service. I want to highlight this fact because sometimes we get into blaming everyone. People should be held accountable, but there are excellent things happening in the health service. I say this as somebody who has used it in recent months.

We need to discuss the cost of car insurance. I read today that for a particular young lady aged 34 years, it is cheaper to rent a car for a year than to pay insurance. It costs her €49 a week to rent a car. This indicates that there is something fundamentally wrong. We have spoken about the cost of car insurance for young people. We are not talking in this instance about a young person but a 34 year old professional lady for whom the cost of insurance would be €2,000 or €3,000. It is cheaper for her to rent a car. Fair play to her for showing great initiative, but there is something fundamentally wrong with the insurance industry if this is being allowed to happen. Something must be done about it by the Government, of which I am part.

I am amazed by Senator Máire Devine's sudden interest in the health service in view of the fact that it was Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil which decided to exclude Senators from the committee-----

A sudden interest in the health service - boring.

Does the Senator not want to hear the truth?

The Senator has used this one for how many months?

He is right.

Does Senator Máire Devine not want to hear the truth?

Get over it. Build a bridge.

The two parties decided to exclude Senators from the Committee on the Future of Healthcare. If we are so interested in planning the future of health care, why did Sinn Féin co-operate with Fianna Fáil in making sure no Senators would be members of the committee?

I have had an interest in the health service for more than 30 years.

With respect, Deputy Colm Burke's party did not even want to have a Seanad.

There is no point arguing on that one.

Order, please.

An impression is being created that there are 100,000 people working in the health service who are all sitting around all day doing nothing. Let us be a little realistic. Staff across the board in the health service are working very hard, including nurses, doctors, consultants and management. There are defects in the system which we need to rectify, but, please, stop giving the impression that it is falling asunder. Last year 67,000 babies were born.

Were they all born on the side of the road? That is the impression now being given. Some 63,000 patients a week pass through outpatient departments, while 6,900 undergo day care procedures. They are the figures. Some 23,000 a week attend emergency departments. Let us stop talking as if nothing is happening. There are defects in the system which need to be rectified, but to give the impression that 100,000 people working in the health service are doing nothing-----

Who exactly gave that impression?

Order, please.

I do not know from where the Senator got that impression. Was it from the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris?

It is a little unfair on the health care workers working in the system. If the Senator does not want to hear it, that is fine, but it is the truth.

The Senator's time is up.

There were 3.2 million attendances at outpatient clinics last year. Senator Máire Devine should go and check the figures to see what has been done.

We cannot rerun yesterday's issues today.

Senator Máire Devine should go meet the people working on the front line.