Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I laid the HSE service plan before the Oireachtas last week, as I am required to do by law. There is no question of the HSE plan being leaked. It was laid before the Oireachtas on 10 December 2008.

On technology, the famous PPARs initiated in 1995 by six health boards does not meet the requirements of a unified service. One of the difficulties with it was that it was not "specked" appropriately initially and the anticipated cost was not correct. Notwithstanding the experience with PPARs, we must not be frightened or run away from the need to invest in information communications technology within our health system.

The HSE spends €8 billion annually on pay and employs 70,000 people. Technology will be enormously beneficial in our ensuring we have in place an appropriate information and financial control mechanism. Any of the health systems which I have had an opportunity to view, and all of the Ministers with whom I have engaged, who have invested heavily in technology have reported huge efficiencies as a result.

Notwithstanding the inadequacies of PPARs, it did throw up the fact that there were more than 1,000 variations in work practices among those people covered by it. That is a fact.

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