Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

The Minister does not have to be a physician to deal with this, she merely has to have a commitment to deal with patient safety issues. The Minister does not have to be an expert on every issue. I am not an expert on everything, although I do my best to understand everything. I know what I want for the Irish health care service. I wish to protect patients in a way that is not limited to setting up commissions that will report in two years. We wish to set up, with our colleagues in Labour, a patient safety authority that will work for patients and have a clear commitment to protect them. I will analyse the Medical Practitioners Bill in the same way and will not be swayed by the Minister's nonsense. I wish to see action that will work for people.

This Bill will establish two bodies, HIQA and the social services inspectorate. HIQA will basically be an amalgamation of the interim HIQA and the Irish Health Service Accreditation Board. This is substandard legislation not because of what HIQA will do, but because the standards being brought forward have not been stipulated, which are very important. HIQA aims to provide patient protection but there is no protection for whistleblowers as of now, which is an issue. The likelihood of removing corruption and cover-ups from within the HSE will remain very low.

Nobody in Government has shown enthusiasm for proper whistleblowers' legislation from the time Deputy Rabbitte introduced a related Bill to the House. When the Government hits trouble with the public it brings forward legislation such as this and argues it will act on the matter. We will watch the issue closely.

The Minister's party has been painted as one which will clean up politics and improve Government, but it has not fulfilled its agenda. The Minister should demonstrate some enthusiasm and get the whistleblowers' legislation out as quickly as possible. Two student midwives having a discussion in a solicitor's office highlighted what was happening in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, which led to the publication of the Neary inquiry. Judge Harding Clark's recommendations on the entire health service were poorly implemented by the Minister.

The Minister receives her information directly. Most of the information sought by the Opposition must come by other means. The Minister and I both know problems still exist regarding matters which came to the fore in 1998. I wish to hear the Minister speak on them when she discusses the Medical Practitioners Bill. If she does not raise these issues at that time I will. She knows the type of matters I mean.

Other issues also demonstrate why whistleblowing is important. PPARS squandered €150 million of taxpayers' money before it was exposed in this House by Fine Gael as a total sham system. The Government and the HSE were content to pour millions into it until it was exposed.

We also had the despicable sham announcement of the new radiotherapy plan by the Minister in July 2005 which was exposed through leaks in the media. The Minister is playing politics. I am more concerned about the backing she received from the board of the HSE when HSE management and the National Development Finance Agency were concerned about the plan. The board of the HSE stated the documents in question were all historical documents which clearly was not the case. This is how we must receive information at present.

I highlighted two other incidents on previous occasions. One involved a Government ministerial adviser who was seen shouting at a HSE employee about why elderly patients were not moved out of hospitals and into the private sector fast enough.

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