Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

The allegation from the Opposition is that there is a closure of beds. There are 1,000 or 1,100 beds closed and to open them would require €300 million. Notwithstanding the fact those beds are closed, just as many patients will be treated this year as last year. That is a fact. I imagine this will be saluted.

Central to changing work practices within the HSE, which is a very important agenda item for me, is the recent Croke Park agreement. Central to that agreement is flexibility and redeployment. In Clare recently, when the HSE was moving nurses from Ennis, where they were not required, to Limerick, a Fine Gael Deputy opposed this. We are told money should follow the patients, but surely staff should follow the patients as well. Where does Fine Gael stand on the Croke Park agreement? At the first opportunity to implement what is at the heart of that agreement, Fine Gael baulked when Deputy Breen strongly opposed the nurses moving from Ennis to Limerick, where they are required.

Let us be clear. If we are to continue to provide a high quality service for our patients and to provide as much service as we possibly can, this will require a considerable reduction in public spending this year, next year and until at least 2014, because we must work until then to reduce the Government general balance from the underlying position this year of 11.9%, excluding the once-off EUROSTAT requirement for the promissory notes to be added in. This reduction will have to take place in areas such health which accounts for a large proportion of public spending. That will be the story no matter who is Minister or what parties make up the Government. We must be clear on that. This is why there will have to be greater emphasis on work practices, staff ratios, flexibility, longer working days, five-day week wards and more same-day admission for surgery. Thankfully, we have greatly increased day case activity in most hospitals and it now exceeds 70% in many hospitals whereas it was 50% just a couple of years ago. That said, we must do more.

In some of the hospitals, and this applies to University College Hospital Galway, the level of absenteeism is at 7%, which is twice what it should be. It is extraordinary that if one works in the public services generally, one is more likely to be out sick than if one works in the private sector. I do not know why this should be the case. Absenteeism in that hospital alone costs more than €140,000 a week and this issue must be addressed within the hospital and within the country. That hospital-----

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