asked the Minister for Health the number of advisory committees to the eight health boards; and the cost of these committees for 1976.

Thirty-two local health committees were established under the Health (Local Committees) Regulations, 1972. The cost of these in the current year, to 30th September, has been £24,300.

Other advisory committees are established by the health boards themselves from time to time. These include hospital visiting committees, community care committees and various subcommittees of the boards. At present these number 30 and the cost, to 30th September, was £14,250.

These advisory committees have no statutory power and are unnecessary, because the health boards exist as statutory bodies in the same manner as the vocational educational committees and agricultural committees. There is no reason to have these advisory committees. In view of the fact that up to September——

A question, please.

——£24,500 has been spent on these committees which serve no purpose, would the Minister consider abolishing them and putting that money towards the health boards' operations?

I have no experience of being a member of any of these committees. The Deputy will appreciate that there is a difference. The health boards are comprised of four or five counties. I assume that when the regulations were made in 1972, in order to retain an appearance of autonomy the committees were established to ensure that the views of a particular county were put before the health boards. They are not comparable with the agricultural committees because their functional area is in their particular county. I said, and the Government have agreed in principle, that a committee will be established with certain terms of reference in regard to the health boards. I suggest that the desirability or otherwise of the retention of these committees would be one of the matters discussed.

Is the Minister not aware of the fact that the health boards comprise the elected members selected from the different areas in which the health boards operate? County and borough councils are represented on health boards. In view of that there is no reason for these people not to have the same knowledge and contacts as the persons selected by the same bodies on vocational education committees and agricultural committees.

Surely the Minister knows that the health boards cover five counties and that advisory committees are at county level. I think that £24,000 is money well spent. I am on an advisory committee and am not happy with some aspects of the operations of health boards. On a number of occasions health board decisions were altered by advisory committees.

This is becoming argumentative.

I am not an argumentative chap by any means.

Let us have a brief question, Deputy.

There are five representatives from County Clare on the Mid-Western Board and they should be capable of looking after the interests of Clare. It seems that these——

Question No. 16, please.

Is the Deputy on any of them?

I have been dealing with health since I became a public representative a quarter of a century ago.