Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

There is no point in bringing in such legislation as an afterthought. The complete Bill should have been brought forward now.

I will point out the seriousness of where the Government has failed patient safety across its duration. The Neary controversy hit the headlines in 1998, when Dr. Michael Neary was suspended from practice in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. The Government's health strategy from 2001, the contents of which were in the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil manifesto for the last general election, promised to prioritise patient safety issues.

The Leas Cross issue was topical in the Minister's Department from the first day of her role as Minister for Health and Children. Both the Minister and I came into our respective positions around the same time, yet the Minister has not dealt with it. I put forward the proposal of a patient safety authority, which I believe is very comprehensive. I know the Minister is taking on board the ideas we are talking about, but she needs to go a step further and implement a patient safety authority.

The issue is becoming far too serious. The patient safety authority issue is more important than whether there is a lay or professional majority on the Irish Medical Council. A patient safety authority would have an overarching role for the Irish Medical Council.

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