Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On Deputy O'Dowd's point, I want to be very clear that I have confidence in the director general of the HSE to do his job. However, I do not have blind confidence in anybody and I am not going to start writing blank cheques for anybody. Everybody in every role in the health service, from the person working on the front line to the person managing a hospital, big or small, needs to be responsible and accountable and we all need to redouble our efforts in this regard. I have confidence in the director general and the work he is doing but I am not offering a statement of blind confidence in anybody in any management position within the health service.

What I have done is to invoke the performance and accountability framework, a new framework brought in by this new Government to put in place a firmer and clearer system of accountability.

I have outlined the four criteria and I will not outline them again. The managers sign up to be measured against them.It says where managers do not deliver on them, and they can be examined first by their group CEO and then by a national director, improvement plans must be put in place. Where improvement plans are not acted on, the person can be removed from the post. I do not want to reach the point where we are removing people from their posts. I want to reach the point where we are improving the health service. The director general will come back to me as a result of my letter to him on 5 January, in which I asked that the performance and accountability framework be analysed against each manager. I would be happy to brief Deputies on the outcome of the process.

I was pleased to visit Portlaoise hospital recently and meet Oireachtas Members and members of Laois County Council. No decision has been made to withdraw services from Portlaoise hospital. I was also very clear when I visited Portlaoise, and I hope it was heard across party lines, that the HSE has a view on a plan for Portlaoise. While it is an important view, it is not the full picture.

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