Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I do not know of any health provider which can operate without a CEO. To refer to the words cited by Deputy Reilly, every organisation needs leadership. The HSE requires, in particular, a chief executive officer given that it is responsible for a budget of almost €15 billion provided by taxpayers. I would not consider asking anyone to suspend the recruitment process. It is important that we have a smooth hand-over from Professor Drumm to his successor. If the person is identified in June, this will, I hope, take place in August.

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