Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply and dealing with the matter in detail. I am concerned that the Minister and the Department would not have a direct role. The Minister is the person who develops policy. We are discussing reconfiguring the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, which is accepted by everybody. However, we also need to examine the development of specialist services, in regard to which we are focusing on Dublin. The Minister can play a part in policy development. Not all specialist services should be located in the Dublin area. As part of the reconfiguration, we need to consider the development of specialist services for the entire Munster region. The Minister has a part to play in this and I ask that the matter be taken up with him, as I intend to do. The Department can become more proactive in the matter with the HSE. While the HSE is stating it cannot do anything because the Department has not given the go-ahead, the Department is stating it is not its problem, given that it is up to the HSE to come back to it. The Department should indicate to the HSE that it needs to progress the matter and that it will give serious consideration to what it states. The reply does not seem to indicate this, rather it seems to pass the matter back to the HSE. There is a need for clarification in the matter.