Vol. 512 No. 6
245 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to curb the powers of the Medical Council in relation to disciplinary procedures and to devolve responsibility for disciplining doctors to the chief executive officer of hospitals and health boards. [26790/99]
There is a clear distinction between the respective powers of the Medical Council and chief executives of health agencies. The council, as the autonomous statutory body which regulates the profession, has, as its primary obligation, the protection of the public from unqualified or incompetent doctors. The chief executives of health agencies can only be responsible for the activities of their own employees. Doctors who are employed in the public health service may be disciplined by their employers for a much wider range of behaviour than that covered by the Medical Council.
