Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I do not believe the Order of Business is the appropriate forum to debate the health service plan in great detail but it is important that the Minister for Health attend the House as soon as possible to discuss last Monday's announcement and go through the plan. We must acknowledge that every political party in this and the other House respected the concept of €3.8 billion being taken from the budget, and that will affect every Department, including the health service. We should not pretend to be surprised about the impact of cuts in the Department of Health. Senators Quinn and Crown spoke on health-related matters and achieving savings in medicines and generic drugs, which should form part of the debate with the Minister. We will not solve the issue on the Order of Business. I support the call from my colleagues, although I may not agree with all the analysis, and the Minister for Health should attend the House as soon as possible.

It has been a welcome feature in recent months that in advance of the publication of legislation, Ministers present their concepts to the appropriate Oireachtas committee, leading to debate of possible legislation in advance and engagement with outside groups and civic society. We are advised that at some stage over the next 12 months, legislation will be brought forward dealing with the future of this House. In advance of the publication of legislation relating to the abolition of the Seanad, it would be appropriate for the relevant Oireachtas committee to engage in a debate on the matter. That discussion should engage with civic society and various interest groups, as that concept has worked well with other legislation. It has worked well in regard to other legislation and should equally apply to the proposal on the future of this House.