asked the Minister for Health the action he proposes to take to ensure that adequate advance provision is made in each area to deal with a major disaster.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disaster Advance Provision.
18.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Deputy Haughey's question of 17th April, 1975, Official Report, Volume 279, column 2061. I explained at the time that each health board has prepared a major accident plan for its area, that exercises are carried out to ensure the preparedness of health board hospitals and voluntary hospitals to meet the demands of a major emergency, that the hospitals have in the past coped satisfactorily with special urgent demands made on them and, finally, that the arrangements are kept under constant review.
This is still the position.
Is the Minister of the opinion that the health boards are properly equipped to cope efficiently with all emergencies?
Yes, in view of the two recent experiences we had, I am satisfied.
On a previous occasion in this context I asked the Minister about the fire precautions in the hospitals themselves. In his reply he gave me to understand that the situation was satisfactory. Shortly afterwards from the report of the Eastern Health Board it was learned that the situation there was not satisfactory. Would the Minister care to comment in general on the situation in regard to fire precautions in our hospitals?
As far as escape routes are concerned, the position is not, and never has been satisfactory. At their request, I propose to receive a deputation from the Eastern Health Board in the near future about proposals they have in respect of fire precautions. I am personally deeply concerned about this, but this situation has been there for a long time. There have been some improvements but not the improvements I would like. It will cost a great deal of money to ensure adequate fire precautions in all the hospitals throughout the country.
The Minister will recall that on the last occasion we discussed this subject I suggested something in the nature of a national inspection board by his Department in this area. Such a board would be preferable to leaving it to each individual health board to come to him with proposals.
It was a special one they had in mind.
The Minister will agree that the problem is universal and of a general implication? Perhaps some machinery in his own Department, with national responsibility for inspection, might be desirable, apart from the actual machinery for providing new arrangements and new facilities.
I am sure the Department of Health have the fullest information on this. Improvements have been made in the city of Dublin recently by the appointment of fire pickets, but that does not cover the general situation. I described and which the Deputy knows about.