Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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365. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on progress on responding to the issues raised in the media (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11413/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department has been engaged with the HSE in relation to consultants complying with the private practice provisions of their contracts since last summer and, in particular, since the RTE Investigates programme of 21 November last.

I have made it very clear that consultants must deliver their work commitment to the public system. In that context, the Department has emphasised the need for robust measures to ensure compliance and that consultants deliver their work commitment to the public system.

The HSE has submitted details of measures it has implemented and proposals in train. On 12 February the Director General of the HSE confirmed to the Secretary General that all Hospital Groups have been directed to put in place a robust assurance process with each of their hospitals to confirm contract compliance, including a monthly monitoring process by hospitals of performance at individual consultant level.

A meeting has been arranged between officials of my Department and senior HSE Management on 22 March 2018 to discuss these proposals and any other measures that may be required to ensure that the arrangements in place are sufficiently robust to monitor consultants activity and to ensure compliance.

In the longer term I have established an independent group, chaired by Dr Donal de Buitléir, to examine the impact of separating private practice from the public hospital system given that this was one of the key recommendations of the Sláintecare Report.