Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This report is due next month so that would be it. On the question of whether the Department of Health and HSE have the capacity, I have a couple of points. Building up capacity will be key. There are many excellent people in the Department of Health and HSE but it is disconcerting to note that when one advertised in the past for certain jobs, including some senior roles at various levels within the health service, there was not the level of interest one would have liked there to be. One would hope that by paring back management structures, one would be able to have fewer managers, but perhaps remunerated according to a package that would attract international expertise. That is my genuine gut feeling on this.

There has been a lot of good work done in the Department of Health on building up expertise over recent years. Not that the Department would ever say it to me, I sense that there is nearly a desire in the Department at official level to get on with driving these measures. It needs the political leadership that I hope we can collectively bring to this on the publication of the report.

I acknowledge there are very strong views on e-health. This is an area in which we are genuinely advancing already. I was talking to those concerned in the maternity part of the hospital in Kerry only last Tuesday. They are now producing e-health records for all babies. Digital birth recording is now occurring in Kerry. That follows on from the initiative in Cork. It is being rolled out in the Rotunda next, I believe, or to Dublin in any case.

One hopes there will shortly be movement on the national children's hospital. I expect to see a significant e-health element to the project also. We have a lot to do in this regard. There is a significant capital ask. I expect there will be a considerable amount of work on this in the committee's report.

Deputy Kelly probably used Portlaoise hospital as an example of a bigger issue.