Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I would say at the outset, and I am sure the Senator would feel the same as a public representative, that we sometimes find it difficult to get back to people within the right timeframe. However, what the Senator has outlined and the various different events he described are not good enough. As public representatives, we do our best to get back to people. We expect that people we are working with will come back to us in a timely manner.

I thank the Senator for bringing this matter to my attention. I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris. Neither I nor the director general of the Health Service Executive were aware of any particular problems in this area. At the outset, I want to say that I speak not just for the Minister, Deputy Harris, but for all of our colleagues at the Department of Health and the director general of the HSE, and that we take our responsibilities relating to the democratic process and to Members of the Oireachtas very seriously.

The Department of Health processes approximately 8,000 Parliamentary Questions each year. As a significant number of the questions relate to service matters or are individual queries, the questions are referred to the HSE to provide direct replies to the Deputies or Senators concerned. To ensure that Members of the Oireachtas receive as effective a service as possible the HSE has a dedicated parliamentary affairs division, PAD. This is a national office and is responsible for all communication between the Houses of the Oireachtas, Department of Health and the HSE. The head of the PAD reports directly to the director general. To assist members of the Oireachtas in contacting the HSE, the PAD has a dedicated email address for Members, which I am sure the Senator knows. It is pad@hse.ie. In March of this year, the PAD circulated an information booklet to all members of the Dáil and Seanad that included contact information for all hospital groups and community health organisations, CHO, but perhaps we might discuss that with the Senator later if that has not been any help to her.

The PAD also makes every effort to facilitate members of the Oireachtas in obtaining information outside the parliamentary process. For example, in the 12 months to May 2017, there were 28,000 email or phone engagements between Deputies and the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, on national medical card matters. The PCRS has briefed Members of the Oireachtas on several occasions as to how it can cater to requests for information outside the parliamentary system. In addition, there are numerous engagements at CHO, hospital group, constituency and regional forum level. In September 2016, the director general wrote to all national directors, hospital group CEOs and chief officers of community health organisations, asking them to examine how they interact with Oireachtas members and local representatives outside of the parliamentary process, and to look at how current arrangements could be enhanced or improved.

On the particular issue that the Senator has raised, I understand that the head of the parliamentary affairs division has spoken to the Senator and has agreed to meet with her to resolve any difficulties she or any other Members on the Oireachtas may have in contacting local HSE officials. I would consider this to be the most appropriate course of action in the first instance and I would be confident that such a meeting will address any concerns the Senator has. If, following that meeting, and in the coming weeks and months, the Senator feels that she is not getting responses and is not getting the level of contact that she needs, I ask that she would come directly back to me or to the Minister, and we will try to address it.