Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

First, by way of clarification, there is no outbreak of tuberculosis. The report mentioned in newspapers today is three years old and the figures mentioned are for a five-year period.

I recently communicated with Professor Drumm on MRSA in hospitals and on informing patients and putting strategies in place. It is the intention of the HSE — it is currently doing this in some cases — to work with hospitals one by one on the issues that arose in hygiene. Of course hygiene has a part to play and hand-washing has a part to play, and so too has appropriate prescribing of antibiotics and isolation facilities. A host of issues arise. The intention is that the HSE will work with the hospitals on these issues.

This morning Deputy Ó Caoláin asked me about visiting hours. It is not a matter for me to decide hospital visiting hours and we certainly will not introduce legislation in that regard, but the best hospitals in the world restrict visiting, except in the case of terminally or seriously ill patients where clearly one would want their families to have access. Many hospital employees, and indeed patients I know from my circle of friends and acquaintances, have told me that if one is sharing a room with others in hospital and there are visitors constantly in the ward, it is difficult to get the required rest. The more we can control visiting times in hospitals, the better. In addition to the issues for staff and patients, there are also significant issues from a hygiene perspective.

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