Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

For the purpose of clarity, will the Minister of State confirm to the House that HIQA did not inform the HSE and the Department of Health and Children when it first learned of this matter? Is that the position of the Minister as outlined to the House?

I understand officials from the Department of Health and Children were present at the famous meeting in December. Was a note of that meeting taken? Did it not set off alarm bells given the circumstances in many other hospitals in recent years? Why did the Minister not appoint additional consultant radiologists to Tallaght hospital at the time in question? Will the Minister of State confirm whether three additional appointments have been made, bringing the number from 12 to 15, given the fact that this was first raised in the Department in December?

Will the Minister of State confirm as a fact that the number of radiologists is to increase to 15? As Deputy Reilly has just informed the Dáil, the number of radiologists in the hospital is the lowest per volume of patients of any hospital in the State. The legacy dates from when the hospital was first established. It was straddled with a debt of over £8 million. The then Minister for Health and Children, now the Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, allowed that situation to obtain. His doing so led to the resignation of the then chief executive officer, who went back to Canada because of the straddling of debt in the hospital. Will the Minister of State confirm whether three additional appointments will be made? Will he inform the House with certainty that HIQA informed no one in his Department, the HSE or elsewhere about this matter when it first arose?

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