Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

It is an independent body as regards operational, ethical issues and so on. However, as a body it also has an important role as regards some public policy issues around educational training, workforce planning perhaps, and the implementation of EU directives. As regards the training issues Deputy Twomey mentioned, we are implementing the Buttimer report. The HSE is responsible for logistics and co-ordination, but the Medical Council is the quality authority in so far as education and training are concerned, and that is an important distinction. Earlier we mentioned the role of HIQA and that of the HSE, the service provider on the one hand, and the quality or standards authority on the other. Obviously the training bodies have an enormous role to play, but it is a matter for the Medical Council to decide on the appropriateness of training and provide for the registration of doctors, both general practitioners and specialists.

The Deputy asked me what was wrong with the legislation. Clearly we have learned a good deal and much has changed in the intervening 30 years. Medical regulation all over the world is changing as we have to in light of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This legislation has been sought by the Medical Council for quite some time. Most of its provisions refer to requests made or the informed views of the Medical Council, from its experience, particularly as regards issues to do with training, education and competence assurance. Then there is the capacity of the council to be able to recruit people onto committees. These types of initiatives have come about in response to suggestions made by the council because of the major difficulties, challenges and workloads of its individual members, most of whom are very busy people. To try to allocate the time required under the current approach where one has to be a member of the council to serve on various committees is very onerous. This causes difficulties and pressure points for the council. Much of what we are doing is to respond to the views of the council.

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