asked the Minister for Health if it is intended to abolish the eight regional health boards and replace them by a single national health board and if he will make a statement on the matter.
53.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Reorganisation of Health Services.
22.
asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to an article in the Irish Medical Times outlining his proposal that health boards be abolished and replaced by a central authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
200.
asked the Minister for Health when he proposes to announce his plans for the restructuring of the health services.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 53 and 200 together.
My outline proposals on the reorganisation of the health services have been considered by the Government and at their instruction I am now preparing a more detailed submission to Government on the reorganisation of the services.
I cannot at this time precisely say when details of the proposals will be made public.
Will the Minister state if the substance of the article in the Irish Medical Times was true? I should also like to ask him if he leaked the story and if that was done to deflect attention from the very serious problems that exist in all areas of the health services?
I have excellent relations with the editor of the Irish Medical Times at a journalistic level. It does not require any mutual leaking for articles of this nature. I did not leak the story but I would be interested to know where it came from. I can assure the Deputy that such articles have to be taken at face value simply as journalistic articles and not as statements of policy on my part.
Is the Minister aware of the anxiety that article caused? I assume from what he has said here today that the article is substantially true. Will he not at this stage review his own policy in relation to centralising all services? A number of services were working effectively and the Minister centralised them and took them into his own Department. Does he not realise that this proposal will meet with massive opposition throughout the country, and justly so, because people feel it is an infringement of local democracy?
I can assure the Deputy that as soon as the Government decide on the new structure I will publish it immediately. I shall have extensive consultations with the health boards and there will be ample opportunity in this House for a later debate. It is my view, one that is shared by many Members of this House, that there is a need for a reorganisation after 15 years of development of the boards and I am quite determined that there should be a reorganisation.
May I take it from the Minister's reply that when the submission is ready for the Government it will be published and that the Minister is not preparing the heads of a Bill at this time?
As soon as the Government decision is available I shall publish it.