David Norris (Independent)

There seems to be some degree of movement on the part of the Minister of State because he accepts there can be a role for an accredited body in support of the HSE. I accept the Minister of State is correct in stating there is a statutory supervisory role for the HSE but he also indicated we could not have a position where the language would state "the Health Service Executive or an accredited body". That is not what is contained in the amendment, which states "the Health Service Executive and an accredited body". There appears to be a little disjuncture there.

I do not see the point raised by the Minister of State regarding a conflict. As I envisage it, the amendment supplements and assists the work of the HSE while accepting its supervisory role under statute. I welcome what the Minister of State has indicated regarding his interest in expanding the work that is done and so on. He has tailored his remark a little because in an earlier contribution he seemed to suggest there was no embargo on the recruitment of support staff such as social workers and so on but then he said there were still budgetary considerations. Although this may not be a strict embargo, it is certainly a limiting factor in achieving the best results.