Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

A few councillors can be sacked here and there, but that will not be the solution to the health crisis. Again, the health boards are the whipping boys. I would like to see real reform. Major efforts must revolve around the reform of the health service as it remains to be seen whether it is out of control. The process of analysis, about which I am concerned, is a growth industry, but it has not paid great dividends to date and one cannot feel greatly confident for the future. However, I will not dismiss efforts to reform out of hand. We can only hope that they will work and bring much needed respite to the thousands of consumers who should have, as a right, the primary requirement of decent health care in the advanced society in which we presume to live.

I wish the Minister well and I hope the reforms work. However, analyses, surveys, consultancy reports, policy reports and more restructuring are not needed.