John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 152: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the advice she has taken relative to the growing number of cases of MRSA or superbug; the number of known cases in each hospital; the number of new cases and the way in which they are recorded in each hospital; the way in which each patient is treated after the infection is discovered; the follow-up or protocol which is in place to track the progress of each patient; if there is a home care team available to patients and families, recovering at home; the advice and support which is available to general practitioners throughout the country relative to this infection and their efforts to support families; if each and every hospital is monitored and if there is a protocol in place to deal with this issue; if the attention of the hospital staff in general has been drawn to the infection; if there is a national plan to control and eradicate the infection; if she will consider a national information campaign on the issue; if she will meet a representative group of families concerned regarding this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6603/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for infection control measures in hospitals. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Director of the National Hospitals Office to reply to the Deputy directly about the detailed information requested.

The strategy for antimicrobial resistance in Ireland, SARI, contains national guidelines for the control and prevention of MRSA in hospitals and in the community. These guidelines cover a number of areas including physical cleanliness of the environment, hand hygiene, antibiotic stewardship programmes, and availability of isolation facilities, as well as screening and detection protocols. A SARI infection control sub-committee is revising the guidelines and when finalised they will be considered by my Department and the Health Service Executive.

Requests for meetings are usually arranged through my office in the Department. The persons referred to by the Deputy may wish to contact my office outlining the particular issues that they wish to discuss.