Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister back to the House. He has been one of the most efficient Ministers attending the House and I thank him for bringing these reports to the attention of the Seanad. The Minister mentioned the need for communications and, indeed, the reports could take a leaf out of the Minister's book because he has proved to be a good communicator in articulating health problems around the country. He mentioned that additional funding will be well spent. While I do not wish to go back over old ground, much of the money invested in the last few years was not well spent. That is what the Brennan report is about and I hope the Government, including the Minister for Finance, will not use it as a stick with which to beat the Minister by arguing that whatever money has not been well spent will be withheld in future. Current health problems certainly require much more investment.

There are three reports coming on stream, including the Brennan report on the organisation and funding of the health services. The latter report was commissioned to see where the health service can provide better value for money. The chairperson was Professor Niamh Brennan, professor of management in the department of accountancy in UCD, who is also academic director of the centre of corporate governance. Other members of the report team included Mr. Tommy Gorman of RTE, and the economist, Dr. Seán Barrett, so the Minister had a good team to work with.

The Prospectus report dealt with an audit of health service structures, including an assessment of the extent to which those structures and functions were capable of delivering the quality and fairness envisaged in the 2001 health strategy.