Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

As I said last evening, I disagree with the concept set out in the proposal for the selling off and transferring of the assets of St. Luke's Hospital to the HSE. I set out the grounds on which my disagreement rests. I should add that my confidence in the HSE to deliver the health services as set out in its original mission statement has sadly waned, as has the confidence of everyone else in this House. I have a theory which has been proven in other jurisdictions. There is a notion developing with regard to delivery of health services in this country that big is beautiful and that everything should be concentrated in a number of major centres. That concept has failed in other jurisdictions. It has been shown that where smaller, more compact units were upgraded and modernised, they delivered a higher degree and quality and a more readily available service to the public. They delivered it more conveniently to the needs of the general public which should be paramount in such cases. The health board's replacement, the HSE, has done little in improving the delivery of services. The current system is unworkable and unacceptable, representing a daily waste of money.

This will continue until such time some health Minister decides to dissolve the HSE and return to a more workable structure that is accountable to the House. A Minister must be made accountable to questions in the House on the expenditure and day-to-day, month-to-month and year-to-year delivery of health services across the country. No attempt must be made to centralise services in such a way as to make it more cosy for those providing them while at the expense of those for whom they were intended.

From the evidence we have seen so far, no attempt has been made to take account of patients' needs. Neither has there been an attempt to utilise modern medical technology to ensure higher quality services can be delivered to the remotest areas in the country. It actually appears that we have slipped down the technological ladder when compared to other jurisdictions. I am saddened that so many dedicated people who work in the health services and have made it a vocational commitment are frustrated by this.

This frustration also manifests itself in the replies to parliamentary questions we raise in the House. We ask the Minister for Health and Children simple questions that cannot and will not be answered. A Cheann Comhairle, I have noticed references creeping into all replies to parliamentary questions of a website where the information is available. They often run along the lines of, "The Deputy can avail of the information on the Department's website". A website is simply an advertisement in the media. I have never known before of a Member being referred to a newspaper advertisement in a reply to a parliamentary question. An attempt is being made to foist on Members the acceptance of an answer on a website for which the Minister is not accountable.

Anything one wants could be on a website. One could go to Senator Dan Boyle's Twitter page and get all the information one likes off it. Shortly, we will be getting answers to parliamentary questions which will state, "We refer the Deputy to Dan's Twitter". The Ceann Comhairle will have to go to Dan's Twitter himself to get information too the way this has gone.

It saddens me to see the way the whole process is breaking down. It is an absolute disgrace to Members on all sides of the House. What about the unfortunate Government backbenchers? What function they do have anymore?

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