Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Tim O'Malley, to the House. We all know that reorganisation of the health service is an absolute necessity. It is one of the key issues in the Hanly report, page 17 of which states: "The priority must be to provide a safe, high-quality service to all patients at all times." However, this statement is completely aspirational. The Minister for Health and Children launched a new policy document on health, Quality and Fairness, and that document had plenty of aspirational language also, but not a single element of substance of the expressed intentions of that policy has been implemented. If it has been implemented, please tell us where. Otherwise, we will have to look for them.

As a member of a health board for a long time, the only consequence of the policy that I can see is a paper chase. If the Minister of State, his senior Minister and others in the Department of Health are satisfied to go on indefinitely with no improvement, even though the record shows there have been 148 reports on the subject, then the emphasis on patients as the priority for health care in 2003 is extremely rich. We know what has happened and the cutbacks that have occurred. There are people waiting on trolleys in corridors, including old people who are in need of services delivered at community level.

It is a pity the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, is not here because I was present, as a member of the Western Health Board, when he came to Ballinasloe – Senator Leyden was also there – after the private hospital was purchased. The Minister said on that occasion that it was his and the Government's intention to develop it as an acute hospital and centre of excellence. He was playing to the gallery, just as he is doing now by telling us the patient is the priority – if only we could believe his and the Government's intentions. I remind him of the words heard by hundreds of people on a day of celebration in Ballinasloe when Portiuncula Hospital was purchased. I was glad to hear his comments, but what has happened in the interim? Due to the Hanly report, and the Hanly report mark two, which we are awaiting, there is a possibility of a replication in the other health board areas of what has already happened in the pilot areas. On that basis, Portiuncula Hospital will be downgraded.

Senators on the Government side today mentioned the word "downgrading." They do not want to hear that word because the reality is that there will be a loss of service. The accident and emergency department will be closed, although Senator Feeney said that will not happen. The Minister of State present earlier was mesmerised by the statement. This points to confusion, even within the Department, involving the Minister and Ministers of State.