Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not accept the Deputy's assertions at all. In areas as significant as the Department of Health and the HSE, there will always be opportunities for differences of opinion to arise. I have no idea how letters between the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE found their way into to public domain. As Deputy Martin is well aware, things like this usually have a means to find their way into the public domain.

I point out to the Deputy that there were 29,000 fewer patients on trolleys last year compared to 2011. The number of adults waiting eight months or more for day-care surgery is down by 99%. I recall that was going to be ended way back in 2004. Consultants now see and discharge patients on a 24-7 basis, saving the State hundreds of millions of euro, an issue that was not tackled in previous years. The establishment of hospital groups represents the most fundamental reform in the health service in decades. With on average one new primary care centre being opened each month, we are moving to community care facilities which is important.

I saw the article this morning on obesity. I understand that surgery is necessary in a number of these cases. I understand that there was an allocation made for 20 such operations this year and that has been gone through. I do not accept the Deputy's assertion on mental health services. I dealt with this yesterday. The current Government is the first in decades to remove the entire mental health service from being the Cinderella of health services and to make it mainstream. We ring-fenced money for that purpose. I note that the suicides discussed yesterday, tragic though they are in every case, happened in the care of professionals who have been speaking out about these things. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has taken a particular interest in this matter and has been consistent in seeing that the best services are made available to the people who require them.

The HSE has pointed out to the Department of Health the establishment of a reference group to provide support to HSE members and the management negotiation team during the LRC engagement in the context of the MacCraith report, which was published. The Department of Health will continue to work to implement the recommendations of the MacCraith report. The current difficulties with recruitment and retention of doctors relate to a wide-ranging and long-standing set of issues. That was the context for the establishment of the strategic review of medical training and career structures chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith. The review group has issued two reports to date and the final one is expected by the end of the month. It is a fact of life that while these things remain unresolved and we await the further report before taking further action, many of the positions are being filled through applications by agencies. That imposes a higher cost on the taxpayer and public service. This is an issue which requires further attention and it will receive it.

The answer to the Deputy's final question on confidence in being able to sort this out is "Yes". The serious progress which has been made on the issues I have mentioned which were left lying around for years without attention speaks for itself.

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