Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It is very difficult to verbalise the impact on people who had X-rays carried out in Tallaght hospital and who possibly have serious problems. We know that one person is being treated for cancer and that another person died. There may well be some who have tumours that have not been detected because the X-ray has not been read by a radiologist.

Can the Taoiseach supply me with the list of engagements of the Minister for Health and Children that deal with Enterprise Ireland and the creation of jobs here? I take his point about Ministers going abroad to deal with job creation for our country.

The Taoiseach states that the Minister has done much work in setting up HIQA and so on. However, this problem was flagged in 2008 and it was brought to the attention of the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE that there was a shortage of radiologists in Tallaght Hospital. According to the facts supplied to me by Deputy Hayes, Tallaght hospital has 631 beds. There are 78,843 attendances at the accident and emergency department and 226,493 attendancesat the outpatients' department. They have 12 radiologists. St. Vincent's Hospital has 16 radiologists and Cork University Hospital has 12.

My problem with the Government is that while this catastrophe unfolds around us its Minister for Health and Children is in New Zealand but she has a duty of immediate care that when something is brought to her attention she should act swiftly and in the best interests of the people and of our country. What did she do? She washed her hands of it and decided not to meddle, and we know that one patient died last year.

Why were radiologists from across Dublin not called in to deal with this backlog? Can the Taoiseach confirm that this practice of X-rays being taken and not read by radiologists for six, eight, ten or 12 weeks, or six months, is not continuing in other hospitals throughout the country? Can he confirm that the reason this practice was not exposed until now is that there was no intention of telling individual patients about their X-ray with the exception of those who had a serious problem? Can he confirm also that he is happy with what the Minister for Health and Children did in this respect because she said it was not appropriate for her to meddle in this matter, find out anything or take action that would ensure this will not happen again? Is the Taoiseach happy with his Minister for Health and Children and the action she took? Obviously, he cannot move her from the Cabinet because he cannot rely on her vote. This is a national catastrophe and is the best example of abject and blatant failure by the Taoiseach's Government and his Ministers. Is the Taoiseach happy that the Minister took appropriate action to deal with a national scandal?

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