Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

My colleagues on the other side of the House may be unaware that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, stated in a letter to her Government colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, DeputyKilleen, that she had asked the National Hospitals Office to implement the recommendations of the task force on medical staffing, which used to be known as the Hanly report until it became a severe cause of embarrassment, concern and controversy. Members should be aware that the Minister for Health and Children intends to implement the Hanly report, so that 26 general hospitals around the country will be downgraded.