Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 11:

In page 6, between lines 45 and 46, to insert the following:

?(6) The post of Director for Mental Health shall be a publicly advertised position, subject to strict criteria.?.

The amendment has two purposes. The first is to ensure that one of the directors appointed will be a director for mental health. The second is to address, in the context of the mental health post, the issue Senator Barrett has just raised. It is bizarre that the Bill specifies that only individuals who are currently national directors in the HSE can be appointed as directors. There is a significant risk that the best person for the job might not be appointed for that reason. I do not know anything about the individuals serving as national directors or anything about their performance. However, it is bizarre to tie the Minister's hands in that way. The trend in public sector management in recent years has been to ensure there is external competition, particularly for top posts so that we can get the best person for the job.

Senator Barrett referred to somebody who might have delivered health service change elsewhere. In particular it would be crazy to exclude someone, who has experience of mental health services, from interviewing for the job. I do not understand the intention behind such restrictions in the Bill and I ask the Minister to reconsider. If the best person for the job is somebody who is currently serving as a national director, so be it. However, the Minister's hands should not be tied in that fashion. We need to ensure there is a proper competition so that people can have faith that the person appointed holds the expertise and experience required. This is one of the most important amendments we have tabled and I ask Members on the other side of the House to reflect on the wisdom of tying the Minister's hands and not having a proper open competition for key leadership posts in turning around the health service in general and in particular in the area of mental health, which needs leadership more than most areas in the health sector. It needs somebody with a passion for mental health and the ability to deliver real change.