Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

At the outset I will comment on the scheme, which it is hoped will come to the House next week. The developments in the UK this morning are welcome. As Senator Alex White said, there are implications in that scheme for us. Despite the dithering in the United States of America and other European countries in recent weeks, I am glad we came out last week with decisive action. We passed enabling legislation which provides the template for the various State agencies involved and the Cabinet to design the optimum scheme which is best for the Irish economy and banking system. Perhaps we have learned from the mistakes and dithering of these other countries. I am pleased, as is Senator O'Toole, that we are taking time over this to ensure we get it absolutely right.

There are aspects of the British scheme which I favour. There is to be a cap on executive salaries and the UK Government is taking preference shares. While there is not a clear indication in the legislation that we will go down that route in our scheme, the Act does provide that the Minister for Finance and the Government could go down that route.

There is a precarious international situation. We must continue to be agile and remain in a position to act as necessary. We played a very important role in putting the legislation in place last week which allows the Government the necessary freedom and agility. It is a most unusual situation, as Senator O'Toole said. We have finally had decisive action from the United Kingdom Government yet the markets continue to fall in the UK this morning. Time will be the ultimate healer in that regard and we must give it that time. I am sure the Leader will clarify the position this morning by giving us an update on the scheme and when the details will be laid before the House but I welcome the fact that we are taking the appropriate time, and not rushing matters, to ensure we have the optimum scheme.

I ask the Leader for a debate on the Health Service Executive as a matter of the utmost urgency, particularly in the context of plans the Department of Health and Children may have to re-regionalise. That is important because many of us are unhappy with the way the HSE has been operating in recent months and we could do with clarification as to future plans.

Such a debate might also give us an opportunity to debate the issue of BreastCheck, which I mentioned in the House last week, and the disgraceful way the people in the north west are being discriminated against, despite numerous undertakings from the chief executive of BreastCheck, and aspects of the HSE, that the service would be up and running by the end of 2006. That is not the case. As we heard from Senator McCarthy last week, people who are deceased are being called for mammograms in the south. In the north west, the living are most anxious to be called to have these mammograms.