Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, for coming to the House to respond to the matter I am raising on the Adjournment. I ask the Minister of State to implement sections 41 to 44 of the Health Act 2004, which was signed into law on 17 December 2004. I would like him to outline details of the establishment of the consultative forum in this regard. I would also be interested to hear details of the mechanism for the establishment of the advisory panels.

There has been a democratic deficit since the demise of the regional health boards in 2004. The local authority members who were elected in June 2004 do not have a forum in which they can speak about health service matters affecting people in the regions. I refer, for example, to the delivery of health services by the new Health Service Executive, under the Department of Health and Children. Senators can raise issues on the Adjournment or at meetings of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, but in most instances we are unable to raise issues of a local nature. Certain structures and procedures are in place to prevent us from doing so on the Adjournment or at committee meetings.

When I was a member of the former Western Health Board, of which I was chairman between 2001 and 2002, I was allowed to raise local health issues. It was possible to discuss matters affecting Roscommon General Hospital, for example. The INO and SIPTU held a picket at the hospital today to highlight problems in its new accident and emergency department, developed at a cost of €8 million. Some €2.5 million was allocated last year to provide 40 staff to ensure that the new unit, which was opened by the Taoiseach in February 2005, is staffed fully. Nine observation beds in the unit have not yet been opened, however. There is no forum at which local representatives in the area can raise such issues. They would like to discuss the many proposals which were made in the Hanly report, for example. Those are the relevant issues. Councillors elected in June 2004 must have a voice in the delivery of health services in proportion to the representation of parties and independents elected then. It is vital that the Minister of State, the Minister and the Department implement the Bill passed and signed into law in 2004. We are well into 2005 but no progress has been made with implementing it yet. There is a need for a forum where local issues can be discussed.

I cannot see any change or improvement since the new Health Service Executive was established. Centralised delivery of health services is now the norm even though the health services in the health board of which I was a member were getting better. The establishment of a forum will assist in the delivery of health services and give councillors a new role in delivering them.