James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I concur with the Deputy that Tallaght hospital is a much better hospital than it was a year ago. That is very much down to its new management and clinical leadership, and the new board that was put in place. I pay tribute to Sir Keith Pearson, who has been chair of the interim board for a number of months, for which he received no remuneration and travels at his own expense on a pro bono basis. He has offered much insight into how to turn the hospital around.

In response to the Deputy's question, the manpower would always be under review. The catchment issue is one that has come into the news recently. I assure the House that there is no legal basis for a catchment area per se. Patients who historically attended a hospital like to go back to that hospital because their notes are there and they do not need to go over their history again or remember all the tests they might have passed. That issue should not arise in the future. From the point of view of a hospital on a fixed budget, this is a major problem. However, as we move to a system based on the money following the patient, we should not hear complaints from hospitals about the patients who attend because they will be getting rewarded for each patient they see regardless of the part of the country from which they come.

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