Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

The capacity of boards to implement new legislation has been demonstrated. Acts implemented include the Health (Amendment) Act 1996, the Child Care Act 1991, the Freedom Information Act 1997, the Children Act 2001 and the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2001, which has yet to come fully into operation.

Health boards have developed strong working links with non-statutory agencies. In the area of intellectual disabilities, they have put in place the required consultants under the enhancing of partnership framework. Health boards have put the necessary structures and service level agreements in place to discharge their responsibilities in the area of food control. Boards have developed their capacity to work in an inter-agency manner through a number of national, regional and local fora, such as the county development boards. Health boards operate within a relatively well developed accountability framework, although I accept there is a debate about that. However, there is no such thing as utopia and there is nothing that cannot be improved. We should always challenge decisions, particularly in the area of health. We should even challenge our own decisions.

Health boards have made significant progress in recent years in developing community care services, such as home support services, day care services, supports for carers, health screening services, public health nursing services and therapy services, such as occupational services and physiotherapy.