Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask about No. 48 in section B, the health information Bill and No. 99, the health reform Bill. The board of the HSE was abolished as one of the first acts of the previous Minister for Health in April 2011 and we were informed there would be accountability, in the context that the Minister would be fully accountable to the Dáil. However, we now find there is almost no accountability anywhere, because any time I table questions to the Minister, they are referred to the HSE and I have to wait a long time for a reply. When will we have a decision from the Government on what is to replace the HSE? We are now four years into this Government and there is less accountability. There seems to be nobody in charge. Can we have some time to debate the issue of accountability within the health service, because we have a Minister who is absent when it comes to accountability? We need this issue to be addressed in a meaningful, timely manner in advance of any general election, so that people know where they stand in terms of whether the HSE is to be abolished or retained as a castrated organisation.

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