The Taoiseach may recall that earlier this year the head of the HSE, Professor Brendan Drumm, stated it would really frighten the public if the true facts were published on the incidence of MRSA in hospitals and the numbers of people whose deaths were brought about either directly or indirectly by MRSA, with it being the critical or a contributory factor. Those were the words of Professor Drumm. Would the Taoiseach agree the reality is that not only do we not know, but Professor Brendan Drumm does not know the full and true extent of this real horror story going on daily around our hospital sites?

One thing we can certainly agree is that this is an alarming and growing problem which must be of concern to every citizen. I wonder if the Taoiseach is aware, as I have become aware in the recent past particularly, that such is the extent of the growing concern about the incidences of MRSA in our hospitals, many people are now afraid to present for admission to hospital? This is particularly true for older citizens.

When I questioned the Minister, Deputy Harney, about this issue over the past couple of weeks, she gave statistics comparing this State with the North of Ireland and regions in Britain. She claimed we faired well from the comparison. However, she failed to state that the island of Ireland and the island of Britain, collectively with Greece, have the worst record of MRSA in all of Europe. The incidence of MRSA in this State is 70 times that in the Netherlands.

Given that the infections contracted and the deaths which result for so many people are absolutely preventable with proper hygiene, management and vigilance, would the Taoiseach advise us of the steps he, the Minister, the Department and the HSE are taking to tackle this very serious problem? Will he encourage, for example, our hospitals to inform patients and the relatives of those who have died with MRSA present at the time of death of the facts and truth of the situation? The hospitals are currently not doing this.

Will the Taoiseach encourage, as I asked of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform last week, other coroners throughout the country not to wait for the coroners Bill but to emulate the Dublin City Coroner's request for the information to be proffered before the issuance of a death certificate? Will the Taoiseach accept that as the 1995 guidelines for the prevention of MRSA infection have not been properly implemented, and that urgent action is now required to address this serious problem, there must be much great proactivity on the part of all those who can bring about best practice within each of our hospital sites?

I addressed this at some length earlier this year, in the spring. The HSE has been indicating to the Government for the last year or so that it has changed its process and procedures in public hospitals with regard to MRSA. It recruited one of the international specialists in this area, an eminent person involved with the issue on the international stage, to bring our standards up to that of other countries. There is a range of well-documented reasons the problem is different on these islands than in the Netherlands, as well as other problems. I will not go into that.

The difficulty is that most of this relates to hygiene standards, and the acceptance that clinical practice has not been up to the standards it should have been. There are now officers in each of the hospitals dealing with these matters and enforcing them. There are health audits and a whole set of procedures and protocols, from washing hands to swabs, theatre treatment to gowning up. An enormous range of procedures have been put down across the hospitals.

These hygiene standards are making a significant impact, as we have seen from the audit reports. The HSE has pointed out that these practices must continue to be implemented. It concerns cleaning standards, cleaning contract standards, procedures in wards and staff such as medical teams moving from ward to ward. These issues were not implemented previously. As everybody has always known, infection can lead to contamination of one kind or another, and cross-infections can lead to death.

This does not only relate to MRSA, as there is a whole range of infections. Everybody knows MRSA, but I have heard ten or 15 infections in presentations on this issue.

The Deputy asked me about the coroner's report. It is not just a matter for the Dublin coroner but for a number of coroners to give the full extent. It is best for the coroner's report to give the facts to families. From the Government point of view, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has tackled the issue of resources head on.

She has not. I am a victim of the MRSA superbug, and the Government has done nothing.

The Deputy should allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

The families of MRSA victims will tell the Taoiseach that. He did nothing but stand there and waffle.

I ask the Deputy to allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

I am a victim of the MRSA superbug and I nearly lost my life as a result, then the Taoiseach stands up and waffles. Nothing is happening and the families of MRSA victims will tell him that. What is the Minister doing? She is doing nothing.

I ask the Deputy to allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

I will not sit and listen to waffle.

Deputy Breen, I ask you to allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

I am a victim of the MRSA superbug.

If the Deputy wishes to raise the issue in the House, the Chair will facilitate him but not at Leaders' Questions which is confined to the leaders of the three parties in opposition.

The Coroners Bill is being prepared. I understand there is no difficulty preventing the coroners giving the full reports, but I will raise that issue because the families should be given the full facts and details and there is no reason that should not happen.

We must accept that Deputy Breen's intervention is totally and absolutely understandable. We have seen the tremendous anger and fear as a result of the greater awareness of MRSA. I welcome his intervention.

I suggest the Deputy should not welcome disorder in the House.

I know the Ceann Comhairle would take that position but I have very little time. As demanded by MRSA and Families Network, the campaigning group, will the Government set up a national directorate for the inspection, prevention and control of MRSA and other hospital-acquired infections? That is a critically important point. The seriousness of this issue cannot be overstated. I cited here only a week ago the incidence of a lady who presented at one of our hospitals for the removal of a kidney stone, contracted bed sores and MRSA in her ankles as a result of same, and left with both her legs amputated. This is a very serious problem.

Last evening I met a family in County Donegal whose wife and mother is now several weeks over the original scheduled timeframe for her presence in hospital. The reason is suspected MRSA but again the hospital authorities are not being open with the family and they have not acknowledged what is the reason for her long, protracted and current serious state of health. We must get to a point where the truth is shared at all times and where families and those who are victims in hospitals are told the full facts.

Is the Taoiseach aware that the measures outlined in the 1995 guidelines do not apply beyond the hospital sites? With reference to the Leas Cross report, it is critically important that these measures are extended to all care facilities, not only hospitals but nursing homes and community settings as appropriate? Will the Taoiseach heed the call of MRSA and Families Network, specifically for the Health Information and Quality Authority to expand its role and responsibilities to include hospitals, nursing homes and other settings and to report its findings directly to the national directorate? I appeal to the Taoiseach.

The legislation will be before the House shortly and Deputies will be able to put their points of view. The Health Service Executive authority has made it very clear to us that it has put together and is endeavouring to implement inspections and hygiene standards to defeat infections and cross infections, to implement protocols for gowning, washing and transfers of food covering a range of areas in hospitals and hospital-related areas to address the substantial problems that have existed over the past few years. The hygiene audit, which has been published in an open and transparent manner, shows where the improvements have been made and where there are still difficulties. Dedicated staff have been assigned to a unit the aim of which is to overcome not just MRSA but a range of infections that have always existed in hospitals and health facilities throughout the world.

On the question of transparency in dealing with patients and families who have lost people, the Government believes all these issues should be dealt with in a transparent manner. There is no reason anybody should not be given full details of post-mortems or other procedures. This has been the practice in the health service, it is Medical Council policy and it should be done.