Written answers

Tuesday, 18 May 2010

Department of Health and Children

Health Services

9:00 am

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 117: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will clarify the rights of TDs and Senators, under legislation, to have regular briefings by the Health Service Executive in their region on acute as well as primary and community care service delivery; the frequency of such meetings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20185/10]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There is no statutory requirement for the Health Service Executive to meet with members of the Oireachtas in order to provide briefing on local issues. However, both my Department and the Executive regard the provision of information to Oireachtas members as a priority and there are a number of channels by which briefing material and other information is provided on a regular and ongoing basis.

The Executive has arranged local area briefings for Oireachtas members on an ad hoc basis and it had been intended to hold such briefings earlier this year. However this had to be postponed due to the current industrial action by members of IMPACT. The Executive fully intends to resume this practice once the industrial action has been resolved. It should be noted that outside of such briefings it is open to Oireachtas members to contact their local Health Office Manager or Hospital Manager should they wish to discuss a particular issue. Contact details for local managers have been provided to Oireachtas members and the Executive's Parliamentary Affairs Division can also provide contact assistance if required.

The Health Act 2004 (Dealings with members of either House of the Oireachtas) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 798 of 2005) sets out arrangements for enabling members of the Oireachtas to contact the Executive and specifies a wide range of documentation and information which the Executive must make available to Oireachtas members. This includes:

the Executive's Corporate Plan as approved by the Minister for Health and Children under Section 29 of the Health Act 2004;

any Service Plan as approved by the Minister pursuant to Section 31 of the Act;

the Annual Report as prepared by the Executive and submitted to the Minister pursuant to Section 37 of the Act;

any reports or statistical data made available to the public by the Executive.

The Deputy will be aware that under Section 42 of the Health Act 2004, Regional Health Forums have been established in each of the Executive's administrative areas, the purpose of which is to enable city and county councillors to make representations to the Executive, as appropriate, on the range and operation of health and personal social services provided within its functional area. S.I. 798 of 2005 also provides that any record of proceedings of a Regional Health Forum, or of a committee established by a Regional Health Forum, must be made available to Oireachtas members.

The Deputy will also be aware that a vast amount of information on both local area issues and national policy issues is regularly provided to Oireachtas members by way of responses to Parliamentary Questions, Adjournment Debates and other Parliamentary business in the House. I regret that in recent months this channel of information has been curtailed due to industrial action. However, members will again be at liberty to pursue this option once the current industrial action has been fully resolved.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.