Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State claimed he was looking forward to hearing the views of Senators. I do not think the Minister will be too keen to hear my views. Fine Gael is opposed to this legislation and I have problems with the manner in which Government legislation and reform is carried out, especially the Hanly report. In the past year there has been much confusion, bitterness and division. The Minister decided to close Ennis hospital and Nenagh hospital, but has granted them a reprieve as the local and European elections approach. What kind of Opposition does he think exists? He stated he was going full-steam ahead with all the reforms, but wavered for political expediency. People have a right to change their minds, but the Government is wrong, and it is completely wrong regarding the Hanly report. One Senator on the Government benches has already called for the report to be binned. That call should go to the Minister as the report is dead in the water.

As someone who was not involved in politics until relatively recently, I was part of that public mood that wanted to get rid of all politicians from health boards, VECs and so on. I felt politicians did not have the expertise or professionalism, or might have had an agenda, when making very serious decisions. However, when I was elected to Roscommon County Council, I sat on VECs and the county enterprise board. I took my job with great pride, enthusiasm and even impartiality. I later found out on an interview board that there were people within the system who made the decisions because they had worked with or knew a candidate, or were repaying a political candidate.

Once again with these reforms, we are leaving decisions to people within the health boards to repay favours to those who wish to climb the ladder. I do not think that is acceptable. The Minister, in trying to capture the public mood, is getting rid of politicians and I think he is wrong. We are replacing politicians with bureaucrats. Why should anyone bother to go for election any more? Should seats on a health board be given to some doctor's secretary to speak on his behalf? Since I have seen the system from the inside, my mind has changed on this issue and I feel very strongly about it. Politics is part of everything, but the Minister ignores the fact that there is politics in VECs and in the areas of health and education. Without an elected representative on a health board standing up for the rights of patients, we are on a downward spiral to a less efficient health system with less accountability.

There is much debate on decentralisation, while CIE and Aer Rianta are to be broken up. Many years ago, county health boards existed and were an effective model, but it was decided to abandon these and develop regional health boards such as those in the west. Now there will only be four regional health boards. I do not think that bigger is better, I prefer small, accountable health boards. We have an ombudsman for the insurance sector. We should have the same for the health sector, particularly in a system where everyone is represented. Every trade and profession has an association, union, consultants and public relations. Yet the patients and the health boards do not have anyone on their side. Unless accountability is put back into the system, these reforms will fail.

Every day I deal with constituents who are some of the 27,000 people on waiting lists for an operation or the 46,000 who have lost their medical cards. Who will speak for the people on the hospital trolleys? Who do I talk to as an elected representative? Should I tell these people not to come to see me but to go to some bureaucrat the Minister has appointed who has worked his or her way up through the health system to that position? The Minister is getting rid of democracy, and that is a dangerous route to travel.

There are 100,000 people working in the health system, which has a budget of €10 billion. The Minister is playing with people's lives and careers and, most importantly, he is putting the patient in danger. I ask him to ensure that public representatives have a say in the health system. We are going down a very dangerous road. Fine Gael will oppose this legislation. Accountability is being lost in this legislation and in view of this it, like the Hanly report, should be abandoned.