Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thought the Chairman was demoting me. He gave me a terrible fright. With all the references to ageism and so on, that would worry me greatly.

I have been watching developments in the health service for a considerable time. Long waiting lists are not new. Ten years ago, people were waiting two, three, four or five years for hip operations. I know that because I dealt with such people. Long waiting lists are not new but have worsened in the meantime. The economic crash was of no help in that regard.

We are not the lowest spender on health issues per capitain the OECD but, rather, are in the higher echelons. We need to be able to tell the public that we are getting value for money and have the best and most streamlined system to so do.

I seek clarification as to what is the problem in the health services at present. Is it a lack of theatre space throughout the system? There are theatres in the country that have never been used. I know of clean air theatres in one hospital that have never been used, despite being the most expensive and up to date in the world. I cannot understand why we lack theatre space when it is possible to have theatre space readily available.

Some consultants have told us in meetings of similar committees that fewer hospital beds is the answer. I do not agree with that but the question that arises is that although beds, corridors and waiting lists are full, is there space available in closed wards in some of our hospitals? My information is that is the case and that the utilisation of existing beds should be a priority. If it is not a priority, why not and how can it be done?

All members recognise the hugely important job and responsibility placed on all deliverers of health services and that, as the Chairman correctly stated, once a patient gets into the system, it works extremely well. The problem is how to navigate the maze before the patient gets into the system. Several years ago there was a concerted effort, of which consultants were at the forefront, to get rid of politicians who were allegedly clogging up the health system and creating problems. It was said that it would be far better to get rid of those redneck politicians and have the system dealt with by the professionals. The result of that was not as was anticipated. The system has become considerably worse. I made reference in passing to my previous proposals that the HSE as it is now constituted is not going to do the job and requires a regional structure, which we do not have. Such regional structures must be made up of politicians and professionals and there must be accountability at local level such that everybody knows what is and is not happening.

My final question is to ask what percentage of the professionals interviewed for the RTÉ programme were compliant with their contract?