Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Health if the new institutional arrangements planned for the Health Service Executive will return direct responsibility to him and his Department; if so, the changes that have to be made; the legislation that will be required; the timeframe in which this will happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8294/12]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Health when he expects the policy making structure in the health services to reside in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8719/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 281 together.

I secured Government approval last December for the preparation of legislation which would abolish the Board of the HSE and replace it with a new governance structure. The proposed legislation will strengthen the accountability of the HSE to me as Minister. It will also ensure that the governance structure has a clear service focus, with other corporate functions supporting the service delivery functions. Work on preparing the draft Heads of a Bill is well advanced and I hope to bring a further Memorandum to Government in the next few weeks.

I have previously made it clear that responsibility for health service policy development and review rests with me as Minister for Health. The primary responsibility of the HSE is to deliver health and personal social services in accordance with Ministerial policies.

I also announced last December that in tandem with the proposed new legal structures, new administrative structures will be put in place within the HSE which will reflect the need for a greater operational management focus on the delivery of key services, and greater transparency about funding, service delivery and accountability. This will involve appointing a number of directors at national level in charge of public health, primary care, hospital care, social care, mental health, and children & family services. My Department is working with the HSE to give effect to the new structures, including the selection and appointment of the new directors.

More recently, I announced the relocation of the National Clinical Care Programmes to my Department and the establishment of a Programme Management Office in the Department to drive implementation of the health reform agenda.

These and other arrangements represent important steps in the process of delivering the reform agenda contained in the Programme for Government which, in turn, is designed to improve the health system's ability to achieve its core purpose of improving the health and well-being of people in Ireland.