Colm Burke (Fine Gael)

-----and caring health service.

If our presidential candidate is a bad candidate, I do not understand how he was elected in the 14 elections he contested. If that is the definition of a bad candidate, I do not understand where the Opposition is coming from.

Absenteeism in the HSE and in the health service generally was raised previously. It is very easy to criticise people working in the HSE but this is an opportunity to examine the reasons it is happening and put in place better structures for dealing with the issue rather than being critical. The absenteeism rate in the figures released vary from 9.73% to 2% and it raises questions about the structure of employment and the structure of management. I am not highlighting a particular area but the Limerick maternity hospital has an absenteeism rate of 7.93%. That may raise serious questions of whether it is a staff shortage issue that is putting people under intense pressure-----