Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

We are not centralising. We are bringing hospitals together to work as a network. The evidence is overwhelming. Every training body has signed on. For example, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland strongly supports the cancer control plan. Volume equates with quality. Since the volume in terms of rare diseases is low, this does not apply to all cases, but volume and quality are linked in common conditions.

When the Deputy's party colleague was the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland, she adopted the same approach to cancer services. Indeed, the North is far ahead of us. From every meeting that I have attended, Ministers across the EU face the same challenge.

More than 7,000 doctors work in our hospitals, but the manner in which they are organised does not deliver the best results for patients or best practice. Last week, I met the clinical directors appointed under the new consultants' contract. They are enthusiastic about what is occurring at hospital level and the re-organisation of services into teams of doctors. In the mid-west, 12 surgeons will work as a team instead of there being four teams. This makes eminent sense in terms of patients, the use of expertise, critical mass and the other matters about which we are concerned.

A decision to halt matters would be based on politics, not patient safety and outcomes, which must come first. In terms of good patient outcomes, the clinical expertise must be put before political interests. This is what is occurring. There is huge——

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