Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 275: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the steps she has taken to make the Health Service Executive accountable to the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42785/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Act 2004 contains very specific provisions relating to the Executive's accountability to the Oireachtas at National level. The central elements of the current statutory accountability framework within which the HSE operates are: the Annual National Service Plan, the Annual Financial Statements, the three year Corporate Plan and the Code of Governance. The Service and Corporate Plans and the Code of Governance are subject to my approval. In addition, the HSE is required to obtain my prior written permission for major capital spending.

The HSE Annual Report for 2007 was submitted to me in May 2008 and was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in June. I approved the HSE Corporate Plan 2008 — 2011 in September following which it was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The plan provides that a biannual Corporate Performance Measurement Report (CPMR) will report an overview of trends and progress against the high level corporate objectives contained therein.

The operation of the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the HSE (PAD) allows for the centralised receipt, assignment and tracking of Parliamentary Questions within the HSE's extensive network of operations. More generally, the PAD monitors overall performance in relation to the timely issue of replies and provides a central contact for all requests from Oireachtas members for information relating to matters within the statutory remit of the Executive. It reports on a regular basis to the Chief Executive Officer of the HSE, Professor Brendan Drumm, and his management team.

In the period January to October 31st 2008, a total of 3,040 questions (59% of the total tabled) were referred to the HSE for direct reply. During this period 2,929 replies were issued by the Executive and of these, 2,237 (74%) of replies were issued by the HSE within the new 15 day timeframe. The HSE routinely furnishes Oireachtas members with press releases and other documents, as prescribed in SI No. 798 of 2005, "Health Act 2004 (Dealings with members of either House of the Oireachtas) Regulations 2005." The HSE has reviewed its arrangements for briefing Oireachtas members. Meetings at regional level are being replaced by briefings for Oireachtas members at local level.