Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

As we are aware, the unique personal relationship between public representatives and the electorate is the bedrock of Irish democracy. It is a feature of politics at Oireachtas and local authority levels. I was saddened to learn last Friday that the Taoiseach said during a visit to County Donegal that he was unaware of the extent of the crisis in the health service in that county. While it may have been an off-the-cuff remark, it has some relevance.

It would be too easy to ask why the filtering system, or conduit, between Fianna Fáil's representatives in County Donegal and the Cabinet is not working, as such a question would cast the five Fianna Fáil Deputies in the county as scapegoats. We need to ask a bigger question as part of the real debate that needs to take place on this issue. I congratulate Senator Daly for contributing to the debate this morning by asking the Acting Leader to inquire into the possibility of Professor Brendan Drumm coming to the House. The big question that needs to be asked is whether a small party should hold ultimate responsibility for a serious portfolio like health. Should we allow such an arrangement to continue?