Nobody with a whit of common sense believes the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohue, and indeed the Government were not aware of the national children’s hospital debacle. It is in fact now crystal clear that the Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance were fully aware of the huge hospital overrun at the time of the last budget. The Minister for Finance had the chief Government procurement officer on the board of the hospital who was involved at all levels, including financial sub-committee level. The cover-up included confidentiality pledges to ensure the Government would not be formally or officially informed until after the budget. And why was that, that was because this Government wanted to continue to give huge tax concessions to the super-rich backers of this Government.
There is no justification for the Government delaying health and other capital projects using the excuse of the cost overrun on the children’s hospital project. The hospitals serving my constituency of Tipperary, South Tipperary General Hospital and University Hospital Limerick, are the most overcrowded in the country. I want to tell the Minister for Health that no cancellation, no suspension, no long-fingering and no delaying of capital projects affecting Tipperary will be tolerated and I include in that the completion and opening of the 40-bed modular unit at South Tipperary General Hospital, the building of a new 50-bed unit at South Tipperary General Hospital, the building of a new 100-bed unit at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Cashel and the building of a 60-bed unit at University Hospital Limerick.
The Irish super-rich are dripping with wealth and gaining more by the day. The Government’s policy is not only not to tax the super-rich but also to give them tax concessions. The Government is in fact the politically extremist representative of the super-rich at the expense of citizens generally in this country. I believe the Government should bring forward an emergency budget to claw back the €250 million worth of tax concessions given to the super-rich in the last three budgets, and I include in that those given to the 25,700 individuals with incomes ranging from €200,000 and in excess of €2 million.
It is time for the Minister for Health to go and to take the Minister for Finance with him and give the public an opportunity to make a decision on this Government in a General Election. It is time for Fianna Fáil and the Independents who are supporting the Government, it’s time for Deputies Lowry and Cahill and other Independents to call it out on this issue and support the motion.
Earlier today I spoke on the Nomination of Taoiseach in the Dáil. I did not and will not support cruel capitalist extremism and foreign vulture capitalists or those who have including Minister Varadkar. Don’t be fooled, there is a recovery but it is a recovery for the rich and the fruits of that recovery has gone to the rich over and above the disabled, the homeless and the sick.
Seamus Healy TD
0872802199
Earlier today we gathered at the memorial in Talbot Street to remember the families of the 33 civilians and one unborn child who died in the Dublin Monaghan bombings on 17th May 1974. The ceremony marked the 43rd anniversary of the bombings by the UVF which killed 34 people in what was the worst loss of life during the Troubles.
The Commission of Inquiry into the bombings under Mr Justice Henry Barron described the attacks as ‘acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces’.
I continue to support and commend the tireless efforts of the Justice for the Forgotten who continue to campaign for full disclosure by the British government.
Workers & Unemployed Action 