Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

We are speaking to amendments tabled by Deputies Cowley and McManus. Essentially, they seek to delay commencement of the legislation. They are to section 1 which is a technical provision. As they are designed to delay commencement of the Bill, they essentially seek to frustrate the entire intention of the legislation.

Deputies have availed of the opportunity provided by the debate on the amendments to reopen the debate on the general question of the principle, namely, that the health boards be abolished. That issue has already been decided by the House.

The Minister has dealt in great detail with his proposals to implement the health service reform programme. On Second Stage he pointed to the provisions he will make in respect of participation by public representatives in the new structures. He outlined to the House his plans to include, as an essential part of the reforms, accountability at all levels of the system. He also specifically mentioned his plans to put mechanisms in place to support the development of structures at regional and local level and to provide for liaison between local representatives and the Health Service Executive. He will include these provisions in the legislation under preparation.

The provisions are likely to include the establishment of a series of regional forums to facilitate local representatives in raising issues of concern in respect of health services within each region with the new executive. These will allow local representatives to comment on and raise issues relating to the delivery of health services at local level. Members of the forum will also have the facility to raise particular issues with the executive. The overall objective in putting in place such arrangements is to ensure the voice of local public representatives will continue to be heard on the development of the health service.

These mechanisms will complement and reinforce the role of the House and the Joint Committee on Health and Children in holding the system to account at national level. The view of the Minister, therefore, is that the amendments are unnecessary. If accepted, they would serve to further delay the health service reform programme and, as such, the Minister is not disposed to accepting them.

On the numerous comments made, this Bill has nothing to do with the Hanly report. It implements the recommendations of the Prospectus report relating to the health boards and health structures. The inspiration for this——

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