asked the Minister for Health if he will change the method of appointing consultants to hospitals by the Local Appointments Commission as it is now outdated.

I presume the Deputy is referring to the selection procedure operated by the Local Appointments Commission in the case of health board consultants. The selection of consultants for appointment to voluntary hospitals is a matter for the hospitals.

The question of a common selection procedure for consultants is at present being examined by the Working Party on a Common Contract and a Common Selection Procedure for Consultants. On receipt of its report in the matter it is my intention to introduce a common selection procedure for consultants.

My question was directed at the health board hospitals. The method of appointment of consultants to hospitals by the Local Appointments Commission is outdated. It is important that the rules of the Local Appointments Commission be reviewed so that at least one of the four representatives on an interviewing board would come from the hospital to which the applicant will be appointed. That person would know best what is suited to that hospital and the kind of person it would be necessary to appoint.

I am not so sure I agree with the Deputy at all. My Department have not received any complaints about the operations of the Local Appointments Commission. The general reaction I get from the medical profession, consultants in particular — and only this morning I met a number of consultants to discuss general questions when the Local Appointments Commission method of appointment came up and when they all expressed general satisfaction. Personnel or boards may be dissatisfied but the overall system works extremely well. In some respects I wish to God we had it in Dublin.

I am concerned that the Minister is a reforming Minister and that his Government believe in reform. As this Local Appointments Commission was established some time after the foundation of the State I believe their rules urgently need updating because they must be very antiquated.

If the Deputy has any local instances in respect of which he feels that the system is inadequate or that the boards are not fully representative, if he will give me details, I will certainly consider the matter. However at present it appears that the LAC system is undoubtedly the superior and best in operation. I would be interested to hear the Deputy's views.

Could the Minister tell us what kind of selection procedure he intends to set up when the common contract is operative?

I have a reputation for being indiscreet but that is one area of indiscretion I am not going to delve into at this stage. I have some views on it and——

It would not be in the interest of cutting down on supplementaries.