Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also sat on the Cabinet sub-committee on health for five years. The drive to abolish the HSE has left us in a completely invidious position. The health Vote rests with the Department of Health which is accountable for the money but the HSE is responsible for the spending of the money with no accountability. The Taoiseach has given various figures and made reference to them being on-profile or over-profile but in truth the tracking of expenditure has been extremely difficult in the last few years. In the last number of years, the HSE has been on target, more or less, until around November but some miraculous thing happens in the last few weeks of the year and the executive requires an additional €500 million, €600 million or €700 million to balance the books. That cannot be right and we need to look again at accountability and oversight in a real way.

There is enormous concern in the south east about the issue of cardiac care in University Hospital Waterford. An interim solution was announced by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, namely, that a second mobile catheterisation laboratory would be provided. That was a solemn commitment made in January of this year but to date it has not happened. The south east is the only region in the country that does not 24 hour cardiac catheterisation laboratory facilities. When will this happen? When will the interim solution of a mobile unit happen and when will the decision be made regarding a second permanent catheterisation laboratory should that be determined by the Government to be required?

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