Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I take the opportunity to wish the Taoiseach well on behalf of all of us in the important summit taking place in Europe today. I hope he will be in a position to secure the best possible deal for Ireland in the context of any deal being done for the Greeks or otherwise.

I realise next week will be a busy week as it is the end of term and that there will be legislation to be concluded but I ask the Leader, as I did yesterday, that time be made available for an economic type debate to allow us refer to the outcome of the negotiations that will take place today. If that could be done I would appreciate it.

I take the opportunity also to support Senator Mary White. Whatever needs to be done should be done to ensure the small business people who have been loyal suppliers to Superquinn, as Senator Quinn stated, are paid. We would all support whatever needs to be done in that regard. It is regrettable that the Minister has seen fit to brief the media before Members. That is something that has happened not just in this Government but in previous Governments and it is a matter of great frustration to Members of both Houses to see that kind of engagement and the disdain shown to these Houses by Ministers of the day. That is regrettable, and I ask the Leader to raise that issue.

I congratulate the Leader, along with other Members, on the innovative measures he has brought to the House, not least yesterday in the new format of questions and answers with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. I commend that Minister because I do not believe every Minister would be capable of dealing with the kind of questioning that took place. It is a format that works well. We will need to tweak it and be conscious of being brief and to the point.

An issue was raised in the media in recent days to the effect that European Union doctors are not required to sit any examinations or tests to practise in this country. That led to allegations that doctors were unable to take a person's pulse, for example, which is worrying in the extreme, yet doctors from other countries outside the EU have to undergo extensive examinations and checking. That is a very serious issue and I would like the Leader to raise it with the Minister for Health.

Early in the new session in September I ask that we invite the head of the Health Service Executive, as we invited the President of the European Parliament, into the House for a format similar to yesterday's with a questions and answers session. We could all benefit greatly from that but society would benefit also if they could see direct questioning of the person who, other than the Minister for Finance, has the largest budget at his disposal at more than 50% of the annual tax take. It is just and proper that he would come into the Houses of the Oireachtas for a debate following the format of the debate yesterday. I am aware he will address the Joint Committee on Health and Children but it would be helpful to have him in the Minister's chair, as the Minister, Deputy Coveney, did such a fine job yesterday, but it would be helpful in the interests of transparency and accountability.