Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Health his views on the lack of inspections of hygiene standards in hospitals undertaken by the Health Information and Quality Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26437/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The control of health care associated infections, HCAIs, continues to be a policy priority for the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, HSE. Maintaining hospital hygiene practice is an essential component of the drive to reduce HCAIs.

Under section 8 of the Health Act 2007, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has statutory power to set standards on safety and quality in relation to services provided by the HSE and service providers in accordance with specified Acts. However, it is a matter for the authority to determine how it can most effectively deliver on its responsibilities having regard to competing priorities and available resources.

HIQA's National Infection Prevention and Control Standards were published in May 2009. The authority carried out a national hygiene audit in late 2009 and undertook hygiene audits of hospitals during 2010. My Department is continuing to work with HIQA and the HSE to prepare for the inspection of acute hospitals and other health care facilities against these standards. HIQA, in association with the Department, is currently putting together a comprehensive assessment of its current and likely future staffing requirements within the context of the comprehensive expenditure review. The resources required to monitor compliance with the National Standards for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infection will be considered as part of this assessment.

Appropriate steps are being taken to address the issue of health care associated infections in our hospitals and to treat them promptly when they occur. The HSE's performance indicators at national level continue to demonstrate encouraging improvements in the area of infection prevention and control with the reported incidence of MRSA dropping by 48% between 2006 and 2010. I welcome the appointment earlier this year by the HSE, jointly with the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, of a national clinical lead on health care associated infections.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for the reply. Niall Hunter, the editor of irishhealth.com, stated:

A HIQA spokesman confirmed to irishhealth.com that the safety body was no longer proactively going into hospitals and checking on their hygiene standards at this time. "We have to prioritise our work as best we can," he said.

It is clear that HIQA, which is statutorily set up to give information and ensure that quality controls are in place in hospitals, is not able to carry out its statutory functions. No audit of hospital hygiene has been carried out in any hospital in Ireland in over a year. Will the Minister accept that, in effect, it is putting patients' lives at risk if the body statutorily obliged to carry out audits is not carrying them out? Will he further agree that in the context of the workload put on HIQA there is now a need to ensure that its basic functions are upheld and that it would begin to carry out audits on hygiene in our hospitals throughout the country?

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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HIQA is responsible for standards and inspections but that does not remove the obligation on the Health Service Executive, HSE, to maintain its standards and continue its own in-house inspections. That is currently the case. The position is clear from the reduction in antibiotic consumption since 2008 and also the continuing drop in cases of MRSA from 592 in 2006 to 536 in 2007, and to 439 in 2008. In 2009, there were only 355 and last year there were 305. A 48% increase is extremely encouraging but we will not stop at that. HIQA will reinspect, as it sees fit, when it sees the need arising but as an independent regulator we must accept what it is and is not happy with, and we should not attempt to interfere in that.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Nobody is asking for interference. At the outset the Minister clearly stated that the HSE is a discredited organisation. That was one of his policy platforms in the recent election. When he took office he sacked the board and stated he would be assuming control of the HSE because he felt it was inadequate in trying to provide the basic functions and services. He is now saying he trusts the HSE in the context of making sure that audits are carried out and that hygiene inspections take place in hospitals. I am not asking any Minister to interfere with HIQA even though it has been often said by Members opposite that HIQA is an organisation that only makes recommendations and its policies do not have to be implemented but all we are asking for is that HIQA is given the resources and the direction in the context of making sure it carries out independent audits, in view of the fact that the Minister has already stated that the HSE is a discredited organisation. Those are the Minister's words.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I will make a number of points. In recent months the HSE has made great strides in getting its budget in order and many other innovations which will become more clear as the special delivery unit makes more recommendations, which I would expect the HSE to put in place. The Deputy is right, however. It is part of our policy that the HSE would be replaced by a different organisation.

I will address the core issue which is that of HIQA funding. HIQA's funding will match its requirement to allow it carry out its duties. I have no doubt it will be in contact with my Department when we reach the end of this annus horribilis which, unfortunately, the Deputy and his Government left us to deal with. We start next year with a clean slate and a new budget. We will have central control over the fair deal scheme. We will have full control over the budget for a year. We will have visibility over hospital spending on a fortnightly basis. We will have real-time information on emergency department flows and on inpatient waiting lists, none of which was available before this Government came into power.