Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

My question arises from one of the Minister's earlier replies. No one is suggesting that she should behave improperly in relation to the negotiation of a contract, which is beyond her ministerial competence or responsibility. I am concerned that regarding the review of the State or public systems, the Minister said that the report is now a matter for Professor Drumm. I am sticking strictly here to what I have competence in, which relates to political responsibility and policy. The Minister said that one matter is outside the area of policy altogether, namely, impropriety. Let us agree on that point. However, she then referred to Professor Drumm and said that he has responsibility for the preparation of the existing services that we have, the provision of resources, the creation of their capacity, the utilisation of the existing staff, the training and placement of student staff and so forth, but these are matters of policy.

My point is very simple. The Minister for Health and Children is responsible for the situation in which she finds herself. There is much we all agree on in wanting to assure women in the speediest, shortest and most certain way. While the Minister has that situation to deal with, she also has the issue of future planning to address and future planning is crucially a matter of policy. On the basis of what we have heard, the Minister will have just the guarantee of a contract. We are contracting an international provider. That provider has assured the tendering process in terms of turn-around and volume. However, the Minister does not have the capacity to give guarantees, beyond the present even and into the future, with a contract relationship. The contract relationship itself is under a considerable shadow because of the performance of those with corporate responsibility in a number of areas which I will not go into now. That is a matter of concern.

It is an inescapable issue of policy and what we should hear today is how the Minister will take responsibility for the situation. Let us say two years from now, having assured us that those who have given work in laboratories, have invested in equipment and have come through specific training will be able to meet the volume and turn-around requirements, how will she be able to say they can enter the field? The Minister for Education and Science is responsible for education matters. The Minister for Health and Children used to be responsible for health matters. The Minister cannot say that one aspect is to do with contracts over the waves in America, that Professor Drumm is waiting to take responsibility for everything that is left over and she is just in the Chamber to tell us about volumes and turn-around. The Minister cannot do that. She has a responsibility to show the capacity of that which is not being chosen and how it makes its way into the future, for the sake of national security and the integration of the health services.

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