Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

The Minister will recall setting up this task force in March 2006, when she heralded its inauguration in the context of there being a national emergency in the accident and emergency sector. Where stands that statement now? Does the Minister still accept that is a national emergency or is she prepared to row back on that in the context of publication of the report?

In the context of an earlier question to which she delivered a reply to Deputy Brian Hayes, when the Minister stated that this report forms part and parcel of a jigsaw, I put it to her that the most important aspect of anybody engaging in putting together a jigsaw is the matter of setting targets, that one will never finish a jigsaw unless one sets a completion hour in which to put it together. Does she accept that is the fundamental flaw in this report? As well as the report casting a poor reflection on the accident and emergency facilities and performance in seven of the country's major hospitals, it does not identify the targets. It is merely a catalogue of failure and a cosmetic exercise. When one considers the substance of this report, one sees failure after failure.

Having been out of the House for the past few years I have noticed a total remove by the Minister from the health services, illustrated in her semi-detached reply. The Minister receives the report in a semi-detached manner. I regret that the Minister does not appear to have any role in this. If she has a view on setting targets perhaps she could inform the House of the nature of her involvement.

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