Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Feeny for sharing her time with me. I welcome the Tánaiste to the House and compliment her speech on this complex legislation. I wish her well as Minister for Health and Children. She has taken on a mammoth task but I know she has the energy, drive and enthusiasm to deal effectively with the issues in the health area. I wish her every success in dealing with these during her term of office.

This mammoth Bill will take over the operation of the health services. A new system of administration will be put in place and replace one that was established in the 1970s. At that time, the health boards took over running the health services from the local authorities. It was often felt that some responsibilities should not have been transferred from the county councils to the health boards. In some jurisdictions, local authorities have responsibility for local issues, such as elderly care and physiotherapy patients, dealing with them in local health offices. In this regard, we are replacing a system which was very fragmented and heavily burdened with administration.

It is not advisable for the Tánaiste to put a further fragmented administration in place when we have an opportunity to deal effectively with the changeover. It is necessary to avoid overlapping and duplication as much as possible in the committees and fora which are established. We must avoid establishing bodies which people see as mere talking shops, do not have decision-making powers and further delay the investment of human and financial resources required in this area of the health service. We must speedily process the legislation.

I appeal to unions, some of which are apprehensive about what the changes in the legislation mean. There is no need for anyone to be apprehensive about changes which will be for the betterment of the service and the personnel who work in it. I appeal to the unions to discuss their apprehensions about how the legislation will work in practice with the Department of Health and Children and the interim executive. They must help to plan and construct a service which is capable of responding to their needs and wishes while also meeting those of the public. The unions have nothing to fear from the process and everything to gain.

I record my appreciation of the achievements of the Mid-Western Health Board in my local area and of the personnel and professionals who have worked in the health service generally. While there has been severe criticism of the system from time to time, we have been very lucky to have such a dedicated professional team delivering health services to the people of this country. The Health Bill will further strengthen the service and in the long term the new arrangements will lead to a more satisfactory and administratively effective system. I encourage the Minister to press ahead with change and appeal to those people who have expressed reservations and apprehensions to set them aside and enter negotiations in a spirit of co-operation. They must help to achieve the best legislative provisions it is possible to put in place to give effect to the decisions which need to be made in the health service. The legislation will in no way delay the development of Ennis General Hospital and other important health service investments.