John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

It represents an admission by the Government that, after more than seven years in power, the health service is a mess but that we should trust in its strategy of applying new, slick, corporate principles to the service. In a short time, perhaps after the next general election, waiting lists and the crisis in accident and emergency provision will be in the past.

As I said when this legislation was first mooted, the Bill sets up another layer of bureaucracy, centralises control of the health service and will result in less accountability. Under section 21, the chief executive officer can appear before an Oireachtas committee but woe betide him or her if a word of criticism of the Government should cross his or her lips. Section 21 (9) prohibits any such critical statements and means that the CEO might as well be gagged before coming in front of an Oireachtas committee. What rights do members have with regard to Question Time?

What questions will the Ceann Comhairle rule out of order because a matter is deemed to be one for the Health Service Executive? It would be helpful if the Tánaiste could spell out in detail matters about which we will not be allowed to ask questions. Will we be able to ask about bed shortages, the accident and emergency crisis, orthodontic or cancer services? What will be off limits? If a subject is off limits, does that not mean there will be less accountability? What precise input will the House have in making health policy? We are told that under section 29 the executive will have to produce a corporate plan. Under section 30, such a plan will have to be placed before the House after the Minister has approved it. Surely if the Minister is serious about accountability, the House should have the opportunity to debate such a corporate plan and to make amendments. Likewise, we should have the opportunity to debate the progress reports. We will have progress reports and they will simply come before the House, but we will not have the opportunity to debate them. That is a missed opportunity in the legislation.

Perhaps that can be revisited on Committee Stage. However, I believe this will not happen because, essentially, this legislation is about removing power from Deputies, councillors and health boards. Were the health boards costing the State a fortune, as was claimed when the idea to disband them was first put forward? No, the Brennan report did not call for the disbandment of the health boards. A few advisory panels will replace them. They will give advice but will anyone pay a blind bit of notice to what they advise?

How much will this new executive cost? It will not come cheap. We will pay an inordinate amount of money to its chief executive so that he or she will take the poisoned chalice from the Minister. His or her primary function will be to protect the Minister, essentially, to be her mudguard, for which he or she will be handsomely remunerated.

The legislation does not address the root causes of our health crisis. Like conventional medicine, it deals with the symptoms of the problem. We may be — I say "may be" because this is disputed — living longer, but we are becoming sicker. As pointed out in the latest Feasta review entitled Growth: The Celtic Cancer, which I advocate as recommended reading for the Tánaiste——

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