Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The so-called communications failure that the Minister hides behind is only a symptom of a serious failure in the governance of our health service. It is a symptom of a health system where the Minister and her Department have detached themselves from the delivery of the service. It is a symptom of a service where the HSE is now a dysfunctional organisation, with senior executives kept in the dark about critical patient reviews. It is a symptom of a health service which is patently not patient-centred.

This Health Service Executive is the creation of this Government and of this Minister. This is her agency, set up with her legislation, peopled with her senior executives and communicating in a way that she dictates.

She and her colleagues have been in office for ten years of wealth and prosperity. There has been investment, not service. From the Minister, Deputy Cowen, who could not wait to get out of the brief, to the Minister, Deputy Martin, who did not read the brief, to the Minister, Deputy Harney, who gave the brief away to the HSE, they all have failed. It was a wasted decade from a bunch of wasters.

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