Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 65: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the instructions to the parliamentary affairs division of the Health Service Executive regarding parliamentary questions the subject matter of which involves all eight former health board areas in view of the fragmented nature of replies currently being received by the separate health board areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15490/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Prior to the establishment of the Health Service Executive, parliamentary questions concerning access to services, by individuals or in specific geographic areas, were referred to the chief executive officer of the relevant health board-ERHA for direct reply. The establishment of the HSE brought into being a new unitary system for the delivery and management of health services at local, regional and national level.

Parliamentary questions can differ very substantially in the complexity of the subject matter or the extent of the detail sought. Where a question relates to the provision of a service provided by the HSE on a national basis or requests statistical information in relation to a service covering a period of years, it may require the collation of information from a number of different sources. The collation of such information is co-ordinated and monitored by the parliamentary affairs division of the HSE to ensure that a complete and comprehensive reply is compiled and issued in response to these questions.

My Department has been informed that where a parliamentary question relates to the executive's responsibility for the provision of services on a national basis, a single response will issue from the appropriate HSE directorate. It is not intended that separate responses would issue from the former health board areas.

If the Deputy has specific concerns on the operation of the HSE in this regard, I would encourage her to contact the HSE parliamentary affairs division. The chief executive officer of the HSE wrote to Members on 1 March 2006 setting out initiatives being taken by the executive to handle inquiries from Members. The letter provided details of a dedicated e-mail address through which Members may submit inquiries to the HSE, and of two dedicated telephone numbers in the HSE's central parliamentary affairs office to enable Members to obtain assistance with inquiries.