Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I do. Can the Deputy tell me something I should have done? I am here to learn. I went to British Columbia to learn about their cancer service because I had been told by clinical experts here that it was one of the best in the world. I went there and learned a great deal. I met Professor Keane and asked him if he would come and work with us. To be honest, I did not believe at the time he would, given the hugely important job he had in Canada. That is the reason we take these actions. It is to learn and to make matters better, and I do not believe there is any difference among all of us in that regard.

Regarding Deputy O'Dowd's questions, I do not have details on the specifics in respect of staffing issues in Drogheda. As the Deputy is aware, a microscope has been focused on Drogheda hospital as a result of the Neary case and Maureen Harding-Clarke's inquiry. She identified the need for additional resource allocation.

The HSE has chosen the north east as its first area for introducing the transformation programme. I have spoken to the HSE on a number of occasions and notwithstanding what may be called budgetary challenges, I want to see the services in the north east reorganised appropriately as quickly as possible because as we all know there are major deficiencies in the way all the services are organised. Resources are being allocated to that. We have a clinician in charge of it at the clinical level and a management team in charge of implementing that change. The future is the new hospital but between now and then——

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