Larry Butler (Fianna Fail)

I congratulate the Leader on how he summarised the health issue yesterday. Debates on health, to which I listened, have been valuable in both Houses over the past weeks. Senator O'Toole brought moderation to the debate when he mentioned how we could tackle problems in health. I am pleased to hear that the Leader will invite the Minister to the Seanad to discuss the review of the HSE.

The HSE is not working on behalf of the people who provide funding for the HSE. We should review it. As a former member of the health boards and the HSE I was not quick to jump to conclusions. I wanted to see a settling in period but it is not capable of delivering the services we require. We should bring moderation to the debate and find solutions. If we cannot do so the Seanad has failed. I look forward to contributing to the debate. A better service should be delivered. If the HSE was not capable of providing the service as a single unit it should be split into four units, one for each province. Health services could then deliver the eight centres of excellence required for cancer services.