Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Deputy O'Sullivan asked a number of questions. I understand the system for dealing with letters in my office has been in place for a considerable number of years and long preceded my arrival and that of my three or four immediate predecessors. Letters addressed personally to the Minister go to the Minister's office. As I indicated to the joint committee last week, the Department receives approximately 1,000 letters per week. This is a considerable level of correspondence and, I suspect, in excess of that received in any other Department. Many of these letters are from clinicians, patients, patient representatives, Deputies and public representatives. When letters addressed to the Minister arrive in the Minister's private office they are recorded electronically and copied. A copy is then sent to the principal officer in the division responsible for the issue raised in the correspondence, for example, hospitals or community services.

There is no record of the Naughton letter of late April 2002, which was during the general election campaign of that year, having been received at any level in the Department, Minister's office or health board. I am not saying Mr. Naughton did not send the letter but that there is no record of it having been received. As I informed Deputy Reilly, there was a response to the issues raised by Mr. Naughton. In June — two months later — the Midland Health Board applied to the Department for three consultant posts to be assigned to the midlands. In November of that year, the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, approved the appointment of three consultants. On the subject matter of Mr. Naughton's letter, of which I and Deputy Reilly saw a copy last week, the issues raised were responded to by the Minister——

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