Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, and, like Senator Fitzgerald, thank her for spendng so much time in this Chamber. I am sure all Members will agree it was a treat to listen to her excellent presentation. She has an incredible grasp of her brief down to the most minute detail and appears to deliver on it with such ease that I imagine, were Members to ask about paper clips on a hospital trolley somewhere, she almost would know about them. It is such a treat to listen to her that I told the Leader I wished she could speak for an hour because Members could have listened to her for that length of time. This particularly is the case when she speaks without a script. I noticed that although Senator Fitzgerald sought a script, there was none. Sometimes it is somewhat sad not to receive a script from the Minister because there always is so much to take from the speech and one must try to scribble as many notes as possible.

As one would expect, having listened to the Minister, I genuinely disagree with Senator Fitzgerald in her claims to the effect that there is not value for money. Sometimes the Opposition opposes for the sake of it and perhaps the glass is half empty rather than half full and Members are not looking for the positive outcomes. I acknowledge the subjects about which the Minister spoke do not always get the headlines on the "Six One News", "The Frontline" or "Prime Time" because they are positive and do not have a negative twinge to them. However, I was thrilled to hear the Minister's presentation and rapid round-up of the things that are happening. For example, Beaumont Hospital now treats more patients for less money, while 6,000 people are alive today who would not have been ten years ago owing to cardiovascular treatments.

The Minister has spoken of men whom I have encountered during my time on the Medical Council. Professors Daly and Kelly and Dr. O'Keeffe are all young men at the pinnacle of their careers who are Irish-trained, who went abroad to gain expertise and then returned home. They now are at the head of these wonderful units that have Ireland at the pinnacle of such research. It was great to hear the Minister state other countries were following our example. However, there still is a huge road to travel, on which we are advancing all the time. I was delighted to hear the Minister mention the training of nurses for various procedures, particularly cancer screening.

In common with Senator Fitzgerald, I take my hat off to the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, as Members have done many times in this House. Like the Minister, he spends hours in this Chamber laying out his brief and usually comes without a script and speaks from the heart. In this context, the Minister has rightly pointed out that an independent Mental Health Commission has been established and that this sector can no longer be treated as a Cinderella. I note her acknowledgement that it had been so treated in the past. I again revert to my wonderful experience on the Medical Council, on which I served as a layperson representing the public interest for five years. I visited two new mental health units, one in Portlaoise and the other in Tallaght hospital, and look forward to the day when all the antiquated buildings are closed and mental health patients are treated in a unit within a general hospital. I ask the Minister to keep an eye on adolescent psychology services, particularly in the ring-fencing of beds for eating disorders which are a major problem and a silent killer. However, because they affect a small group of people, they do not have a strong voice. While they are wonderful people, perhaps they do not shout loudly enough. I, therefore, ask the Minister to keep an eye on them.

When preparing for this debate, I examined the entire list of activities covered under the HSE. One might conclude that it is no wonder things go wrong because there is a huge number of activities to cover. However, having listened to the Minister and read through some briefing notes I received through the Leader's office and that of the Minister, I take my hat off to the hard-working staff in the HSE. As the Minister has pointed out, at a time when they are almost battling a tsunami and although the budget has been cut back by €1 billion, there are positive outcomes. I will pick a few areas that I would like to discuss.

While Senator Fitzgerald has stated there still are lengthy queues in accident and emergency departments, they certainly are being reduced. They are 50% shorter today than five years ago. Sometimes, no more than our national broadcaster, a spin is put on the length of time people are obliged to wait in accident and emergency units. People such as the general secretary of the INMO, Mr. Doran, probably have a different slant on matters than the HSE. However, I have personal experience in this regard because one of my siblings was admitted when very ill with severe chest pains to the accident and emergency unit in Tullamore hospital. He was rapidly assessed and found to have a punctured lung. He was then admitted to a bed and well looked after. The following day he asked for a private room because he had VHI cover. His consultant kindly told him that while this would not be a problem, in so doing he would be obliged to cease treating him. He would be obliged to refer him to another consultant colleague because he was one of the new public service-only consultants. Because my brother had been getting such good treatment, he opted to remain in the six-bed public ward under the care of that consultant and sings the praises of the public health service. Consequently, I believe that if one gains access to the public health service and has a positive experience -there is no reason one should not — one will be well looked after. I would go so far as to state there is no difference between the quality of the public service one receives as opposed to that of its private equivalent. One probably is better looked after.

The other area I considered was the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF. In 2002 waiting lists for operations ranged from two to five years. However, that time has been cut to between two and five months. In the eight years since 2002, 165,000 patients have been treated. When I went a little further and looked at the NTPF's website, it was interesting to find a list of people who had been treated. The names are not fictitious, as the website provides the names and addresses of those who have been treated. I took one example from County Sligo and one from my native county of Offaly. A lady in Sligo had knee surgery. Having been told she would be on a waiting list for 14 months, she ran the lo-call number for the National Treatment Purchase Fund which looked after everything. Within two months she was treated in St. Joseph's, Garden Hill, County Sligo. There was wear and tear on her knee and driving was a problem. However, she has now been restored to full health. She stated, "I was treated like royalty," and would recommend it to anyone. The lady from Clara, County Offaly, the Taoiseach's home town, needed a spinal decompression operation in Beaumont Hospital, which sounds specialised. She also faced a two-year wait but again was dealt with within two months. She also sings the NTPF's praises.

I do not care what way it happens, provided it happens. In what may not have been a throwaway remark, the Minister suggested one should talk about services, not about organisations. This is extremely important and Members should think about it when jumping up and down about matters. I do not exclude myself from those who jump up and down on hearing a headline on the "Six One News" or the "News at One" programme. I have been critical of the HSE and entered the Chamber this morning with a very different brief. I had intended to seek complete reform of the HSE, but having listened to the Minister, I have changed my mind.

The last subject I wish to discuss is something that has hit my own family, in that my mother-in-law has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It has been a very difficult time for the family. I am only her in-law, yet it has affected me and my children to a great extent. Well done to the Minister for introducing the fair deal scheme. I am delighted that the application my in-laws made for my mother-in-law has been dealt with speedily and effectively. She is no different to anyone else. Her application had nothing to do with me. My sisters-in-law were responsible for everything and I was not involved in any way. They are very pleased with how things have moved on for their mother. She is in a private nursing home. I am delighted to say that although she has only her old age pension she is being looked after in the same way as a person with much more money than her and who in the past could have afforded much better care but now everyone is on an equal footing.

I have a minor query about the fair deal scheme which came to me in the form of an e-mail. If a person such as my mother-in-law goes into a nursing home, thus leaving her house vacant, and the family is keen to let out the house rather than leave it empty with the risk of it being vandalised or burgled, it would appear that 100% of the rental income will go to the State for the care of the person in the nursing home and nothing is left for the family to put towards the upkeep of the house. The Minister will be aware that houses that are let out can run down. In this case the family would like to let the house but there will be additional costs for its upkeep. If they do not let it then they feel they are not being fair to the State either in so far as if nothing is done the State is deprived of the money. Perhaps the Minister would reply to that point. It might be the case that a bit of tweaking is necessary or I might not have been correct in my assumption.

By and large, the glass is always half full rather than half empty. At times, if there is not a positive spin on a story the national broadcaster will not want to run with it and it will choose the negative option. I am not being picky because I have complimented such programmes as "Prime Time Investigates" in the House. Perhaps the Minister will examine care for people with Alzheimer's disease and see how we can try to keep people at home for longer, especially those who are affected with early onset Alzheimer's disease. I wish we had more time to debate this issue.