Eoghan Harris (Independent)

Behind the call for a debate on Tallaght Hospital lies a wider question of responsibility and authority. While Senator Buttimer correctly identified the source of the problem as the HSE, he draws the wrong conclusion in believing the Minister should go. Senator O'Toole is right in believing a Minister cannot be held responsible for stuff that goes wrong down the chain.

I repudiate the habit in Irish political culture of borrowing from British political culture. There was no point in setting up the State if we were going to do this. For example, there is much talk about having a list system for elections. In our political culture people like to have a direct relationship with their Deputies. There was the debacle about the rugby match to be held on Good Friday because the political culture of the country was ignored. The same is true of the culture of resignations.

A very good principle of subsidiarity is worth borrowing from Catholic social teaching. It teaches that no large body should perform a function which a smaller body can perform. The Minister should not be held directly responsible for matters which are the responsibility of managers and consultants. If there is chronic neglect by the Minister, she should be held responsible. Deputy Harney is a reforming Minister for Health and Children. She cannot be held to account for failures. She addresses the health system. However, she can be held to account and is neglectful in another area. We depend on her to be a reforming Minister in taking on the public sector arrogance and feather-bedding of the HSE. We are all dancing around the subject. We all know that behind this there is a culture of total arrogance in the HSE. If one goes into an accident and emergency department, one sees them tapping away on computers and chatting to each other. This has grown up during the years. We saw it in the Passport Office the other day. Women were crying outside the Passport Office, trying to go to have an abortion in England close to term and the staff were inside. Why have tributes been paid to Passport Office staff? There is no point in denying public sector strikes are a direct attack on the public. As long as they can play the Government against the Opposition, we will never have reform.