Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 13, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following new subsection:

"(2) Notwithstanding the terms of any agreement under subsection (1), the Executive and the public authority shall, when requested, provide all information to the Minister in order to enable him or her to furnish a full reply to a parliamentary question.".

This relates more to the other House but makes an important point about getting a reply to a parliamentary question. We may not know much about parliamentary questions officially but I have seen Deputies submit questions to the Minister for Health and Children and receive a standard reply that the question has been referred to the health board that will in turn furnish a reply in the near future. It can take months for a reply to arrive. Invariably, some people have forgotten the initial query.

There is a major problem accessing data in the health boards at the moment. I hope the new health service executive will look at the ICT systems when it takes over because that would speed up answers to parliamentary questions and might avoid disasters such as the granting of medical cards to those over 70, where the Department completely underestimated the impact this would have and the number of people in the country who were eligible. Will the Minister of State give an assurance that when Deputies ask questions, they will get proper and prompt replies? I urge him to do whatever he can in the Department to ensure the health service executive has the IT resources to make the information readily accessible to the people being asked the question. It is in everyone's interests that this amendment be accepted.