James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I believe I covered the question about services in Limerick and Galway in my opening remarks. I cannot go into detail, as it would hamper the work of the SDU. When its representatives go into a hospital, they receive great co-operation and there is honest engagement. As such, if we were to start publishing reports or making public what has been found, people will start to clam up. I do not want to interfere with this.

I have referred to management and leaders. I accept what the Senator said about the deficiency in specialists and also his comments about there being too much reliance on non-consultant hospital doctors, not on senior doctors. That issue is being addressed.

I had intended to cover this issue in my opening remarks, but I will deal with it now because it is very important. The effect of the special delivery unit in the North of Ireland was not sustained for a host of reasons. First, direct ministerial involvement disappeared and, second, the underlying reforms required were not introduced. We will not make that mistake. We will institute the underlying reforms and leave the SDU in place as the guarantor of quality.

The Senator raised another issue about the Dutch——