THE ISSUE OF overcrowding in hospitals was raised once again during Leaders’ Questions today.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the number of people on hospital trolleys – which stood at just over 500 today – was a direct result of the government’s “brutal austerity measures”.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny rejected this, saying that extra beds were being provided where possible.
Adams was left cold by the Taoiseach’s ability to list off statistics about the hospital beds and the number of people waiting on trolleys, saying he was “almost like a commentator at a horse race”.
When Adams referred to the response to the health crisis as “Alice and Wonderland or Leo and Enda-land” Kenny told him “the trampoline must be having an effect on you” – referencing his penchant for naked trampolining (Stay with us.).
That one got a few laughs.
Earlier, Kenny had accused Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin of speaking “claptrap” about home repossessions.
Martin had said that with 400 homes listed for repossession from 1 January “2015 is going to be the year of repossession, given the scale and volume of repossession cases coming before our courts’’.
The Taoiseach said there were a “suite of options” available to help borrowers in distress, many of whom were in trouble because Fianna Fáil “destroyed the country”.
Ruth Coppinger then brought up the issue of the Jobstown water protest arrests.
Kenny described her assertion that gardaí were acting in a political manner as “outrageous”, telling her she “should know better”.
When Coppinger ran over time, she asked the Ceann Comhairle to “stop interrupting me”.
Something Seán Barrett wasn’t too impressed with, telling her: “You’ll just have to learn to obey the rules in this house like everyone else”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say