Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

It happened during the watch of the last Acting Chairman who tried to stop the Minister. We wished him to carry on because he was very enlightening. The Minister gave us the exact numbers in the HSE, which comprises 102,100 staff and costs €13 billion, which is not a small amount of money.

Section 2 refers to a legal contract. Each contract that goes to St. James's Hospital from the IBTS now has to be done separately. The section clarifies that this will be done freely and slowly. A significant amount of blood clotting is a serious issue for those patients suffering.

Section 3 contains the main thrust of the Bill. It revokes section 1 of the Act and allows the IBTS to transfer to St. James's Hospital. On behalf of the Technical Group and my colleague, Deputy Finian McGrath, I support that. I thank the Minister for being so open and diverse. He did not come in and read a prepared script but enlightened us on many areas of his thinking on the reform of the HSE. It has been criticised around the country. I was delighted to hear what he said.

This is the primary forum for the Minister to outline his strongly held views on cost savings and, more importantly, the safe delivery of health care. That has to be paramount for all those working at the coal-face, the Department and everybody else, including those involved in community care, hospital care, psychiatric care and other areas. I welcome the passion of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, on the need to transfer services to the community and have better home care delivery. It is a matter of getting senior HSE officials to put their ducks in a row, bring us all on side and not have fear engendered in people of the change that is being progressed.

I am sure the Minister of State is wondering if I have changed completely. I have not but, when I hear a Minister that is willing to come to the House and speak I acknowledge it. I salute him and wish him and the Minister of State well. I support this short technical Bill.

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