Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

When the health boards were in place, there was some local responsibility. Somebody could be identified as being responsible for any given matter. That is no longer the case, however. If the Government is disappointed with what is happening, the Minister needs to take action. We have a national MRSA crisis in our hospitals because she has failed to take action. I am sad to say that the Minister and the HSE are aware of the ongoing problems. People are suffering extensively — some families are grieving as a consequence of bereavements — but nobody is taking responsibility for this problem. The Minister listed the initiatives she proposes to take in areas such as education and training and spoke about global responses to patient care. How much more out of touch with reality will she go? The Minister's proposals are not sufficient to address the urgent crisis in our hospitals.