Private health executive appointment
Gerry Adams questioned the appointment of a private health consultancy founder as chair of the West/North West Hospitals Group, arguing that the appointee had promoted health-service privatisation; the Taoiseach did not initially address the question.
Ní leanfaidh mé ar aghaidh gan ciúnas mar tá ceist dáiríre agam. Last week in the absence of the Taoiseach I asked the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, whether he was aware that the founder and 50% shareholder of a private consultancy firm, The Health Partnership, had been appointed by the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, as chairperson of the West/North West Hospitals Group, a major State public health body. I put it to the Minister for Finance that a major player in the private health sector who promoted the privatisation of health services was being appointed as chairman of a major public health body and that there was clearly a conflict of interest. Once again, I called the judgment of the Minister for Health into question. The Minister for Finance was not able to answer my question. He said he had not been briefed on the issue. Therefore, I would like to direct my question at the Taoiseach. This is one of a litany of calamities over which the Minister for Health has presided. The Taoiseach might be aware that the Ombudsman, Mr. Peter Tyndall, has highlighted that he has received many complaints about discretionary medical cards but that when he was trying to investigate the issue, he was told the original files on the basis on which decisions were made about citizens' entitlement to a discretionary medical card were not available. He said it was almost impossible for his office to adjudicate on complaints made to him. Will the Taoiseach clarify what happened to the files? Why are they not available? The Government claimed to have conducted a review of discretionary medical cards. How could it have done so if the files were not available?
Comment on this
My last question concerns the fact that the Ombudsman is saying the original files used to make decisions on discretionary medical cards are not available. He says he has no explanation for this and that he has not been able to get one. This flies in the face of the Government's claim that it is conducting a review of medical card issues. How can it conduct such a review if the files are not available? The Taoiseach should not miss my question on an individual from a private consultancy firm being appointed as chairman of a major State public health body. Will he clarify what happened to the files mentioned by the Ombudsman? Why are they not available?