Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 6: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason the 2006 service plan for the Health Service Executive has still not been published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8348/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Under section 31 of the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive must submit a service plan to the Department of Health and Children within 21 days of the publication of the Estimates. The service plan was submitted in line with this legislation on 8 December 2005. There was a further period of 21 days from its submission to either approve the plan or issue a direction to have it amended. I approved the HSE plan on 22 December 2005.

Under section 31 of the Health Act 2004, it is my responsibility to "ensure that a copy of the approved service plan is laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas within 21 days after the plan is approved". I laid the service plan before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 9 January.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The HSE was established to bring reform to the health services — that is not to say it brought reform to the Government. Under the code of practice for State bodies, which the Tánaiste has outlined, the HSE has fulfilled its part. It gave the Tánaiste the service plan, which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. When was the service plan placed on the website of the Department of Health and Children? It was extremely difficult to get copies of the plan for someone who was not a Member of the Houses or who did not know a Member of the Houses.

Why does the service plan contain no targets? We have no idea how many home-help hours or home care packages are expected to be delivered in 2006. We do not know what will happen in primary care. The service plan gives no figures and I would like to know what is happening in this regard. How does the board of the HSE monitor what is happening in its organisation if it is following a service plan without clear targets? An un-audited financial statement based on the service plan must also be published at some stage by the HSE board. I would like to know the figures from which it is working. I have serious concern with the transparency of what is happening in the HSE. The Tánaiste should speed up the process of placing these plans in the public domain and she should also review the plan. It is very poor on targets, facts and figures that people can use to see if the HSE is an addition to the health services or just a fob. We need greater accountability in what the HSE is doing.

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy has made some valid points about the specifics in the plan. The HSE is a new organisation and has only been in existence for 14 months. Rather than the money being broken down along the lines of the old health board regions, I would like to see it broken down along more specific lines. I have communicated this to the HSE and in time that will happen. The plan is available on its website and has been available by e-mail since I approved it. It is one of the specified documents in the Act that is required to be made available to Members of the Oireachtas. I do not know whether that happened. If it did not happen I will ensure it will happen in future.