Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

The section of the Bill that allows the CEO of the executive to appear before the Joint Committee on Health and Children is lovely in theory, but the reality is that we will be doing well if we get him or her to make such an appearance twice a year. The Tánaiste has been due to visit the joint committee twice since she was appointed as Minister for Health and Children, but she has cancelled on both occasions, because of a genuine illness and because she had to take the Health Bill 2004 in the Dáil. That proves that it can be difficult to get people to appear before a committee.

The Tánaiste's comments in the Dáil last week do not inspire confidence. On Committee Stage in the Dáil, she accepted a Fine Gael amendment relating to the accountability of the HSE to the Oireachtas, but she overturned that on Report Stage. She was challenged to give certain assurances by the Labour Party on Report Stage in the Dáil last week. The amendment tabled by the Tánaiste gives the CEO of the HSE the option of not attending the committee, but sending somebody else instead. In response, the Tánaiste said that "the CEO will not nominate any old flunkey to come before an Oireachtas committee" and that "we do not have flunkeys working in the health service".