John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has plans to establish a national patient database; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6191/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Strategy, Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You underlines the importance of the availability of good quality health information in order to achieve the various goals, including better health for everyone, high performance and responsive and appropriate care delivery. The actions necessary to improve the quality and availability of health information are set out in the National Health Information Strategy (NHIS). In line with NHIS recommendations, the Health Bill 2006 provides for the establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) which will have a key role in health information development in terms of setting standards, evaluating the information currently available, identifying gaps and deficiencies and advising on appropriate priority developments. The issue, therefore, of the need or otherwise for the establishment of databases along the lines suggested in the question will be one for consideration, in the first instance, by the new Authority.