Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising a matter of serious import, which is very sensitive to people who have to deal with it. I was proud to wear the T-shirt for cystic fibrosis in Kerry last weekend. Sometimes when the political process makes decisions that things should happen, political personnel expect to see them happen. I do not know what the problem in St. Vincent's hospital is that the protocol will not be signed off on, but I will find out for the Deputy and for everybody else. Through the political process, one expects that when money is voted for particular projects or strategies, it is followed through, timelined and delivered on time. As Deputy Boyd Barrett is aware, in a range of areas around the country, that has actually happened to great effect, in particular, in road development. I assure the Deputy that, similar to the issue to which I referred in response to Deputy Adams, the nature and scale of the change that has to be made in the health area to bring about an effective health system for every patient irrespective of his or her need must be delivered with the greatest efficiency and competency and that people get the treatment they expect.

The question of accountability through the HSE is one that concerns me greatly because for years massive budgets of taxpayers' money have been allocated by this House and where evidence of full accountability has never been evident at political level. I am not suggesting anyone ran away with it in fraudulent fashion but the diversion of money from where it was intended to go in the first instance has happened on so many occasions that it is no longer a joke. That has to, and will, change because there has to be serious accountability as to how money is spent right down through the system as distinct from what we have had in the past. I do not know the detail of why this cystic fibrosis unit at St. Vincent's hospital has been delayed but I will find out and will inform the Deputy and the House. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.

The letter from the Secretary General, which I saw referred to in the media, speaks of a HSE response to dealing with the situation we have now that is not acceptable to the Department of Health and, in the vast majority of respects, is not acceptable to me either.

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