Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

We will go into that here. We get successive announcements from the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, that waiting lists have been shortened, and yet the waiting lists to get on the waiting lists have lengthened. The National Treatment Purchase Fund was a great initiative. I accept that it solves a problem within a couple of months for a person whereas years ago that was not the case, but it is no good massaging the figures creating a long queue of people on waiting lists to get on the waiting lists, which happens in the case of all the hospitals in my area, the figures for which I will get if they are sought. That does not help. Deputy Callely mentioned Ms Stokes and I receive her replies to parliamentary questions as well. We must get honest information and have a proper debate on it. One must not try to massage the figures because that does not help patient safety at all.

The Bill falls well short of the protection for patients we in Fine Gael and Labour want to provide and our document published a number of months ago highlighted clearly what we want to do. While I can go through this step-by-step if need be, I suggest Deputies read it so I may go on to other matters. It is clearly stated there, however, that we want to go a step further.

It is a pity the Minister would not take on board some of our initiatives and just accept them. It is the same old story here. Good ideas get put to one side due to politics and people continue to suffer. I am sure it has happened in the past and it is not all one-sided, but it should not happen. When something is good, we should agree, implement and accept it. Deputy Twomey, along with his colleagues in Labour, produced a good policy on patient safety and a patient safety authority. It contained much which was good which could have been improved, but yet this Bill comes far short of it. That, in itself, is a disappointment. We will push to get improvements in that area.

The Minister is already speaking of introducing amendments to the Bill on Committee Stage to provide for whistleblowers. Such a provision, which must be introduced as an amendment, should be a given in a Bill on patient safety.

The health service is covered by a veil of secrecy dating back many years. The walls hear and one cannot speak. I have worked in it and I know what it is like. People are afraid to open their mouths in case someone next door, through a ten-foot wall, will hear them. That is the extent of the fear in the health service and it still exists among staff. They are afraid to open their mouths when they see problems, they are afraid to speak and they are afraid to question and consult. That has not changed yet under the HSE. I assume it will and hope it does. I assume and hope Professor Drumm will drive changes. I have spoken to him about it.

However, this issue still arises. One can state that maybe it arises only in my area, but I know it arises and it must be sorted out. If people who work for the State see a problem or have a question or a better idea, they should not be afraid to open their mouths and doing so should not result in difficulties down the line. That, in itself, is a form of bullying. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is looking at me as if I were speaking nonsense. I am not. It is a fact and we need to sort it out. Whistleblower legislation is certainly an essential ingredient in sorting that out.

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