Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The HSE has accepted HIQA's recommendations and will have to proceed on them. In regard to the matter not being addressed previously, the fact that we have in place independent authorities provides greater public confidence that such matters are being assessed objectively. There is an independent oversight mechanism in place to help those who are engaging in services to work with front line staff to achieve the best possible outcomes and provide the protections set out for children by the Oireachtas and the Constitution.

In regard to Deputy O'Keeffe's question, lessons can be learned from the many inquiries initiated by the Oireachtas which have deliberated on matters of urgent public interest for lengthy periods of time at great cost to the taxpayer. Reform could be introduced on the basis of commissions of inquiry, which were introduced on foot of statutory reforms passed by the Houses as a means of overcoming the constraints of the 1924 Act, or improving the committee system. In terms of improving the committee system, the Supreme Court judgment makes clear that when we act on a quasi-judicial basis, such as re Haughey in 1971, we must protect the constitutional rights and natural justice of individuals appearing before committees.

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