Mr. Tony O'Brien:

I welcome the Deputy's comments about cancer prevention and so on, and agree with what she has said. The policy on open disclosure is not confined to regulated medical professionals. There is an equal obligation, irrespective of the professional discipline from which a HSE staff member is drawn. The Deputy's central point that members of a regulated or licensed profession are subject to professional disciplinary issue while others are not is a very valid point. In the past I have spoken of this for two equal reasons, one of them being the Deputy's point that it would be beneficial if the profession of health management were to be recognised, both so that it would be valued and so that it would be subject to professional standards and so on.

In other jurisdictions - the Minister has mentioned one or two of them - including jurisdictions not too far from here, there is the notion of the "fit and proper person" test which can be applied at the point of appointment to a senior role. It is not dissimilar from, but not exactly the same as, what has been introduced here in financial services in the past decade. I believe what we somewhat disparagingly used to call health administrators provide a hugely important and central role, irrespective of whether they have a health professional background. There would be value in examining how to regulate that as a professional in terms of the qualifications required, continuing professional development and adherence to standards in the way the Deputy has described.