Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Around this country every year, 13.7 million miles are being clocked up in vehicles when people go for dialysis. One transplant, as well as saving a valued life, saves the health service €750,000 as well as meaning a person is going back to work and a family has someone who was in danger of losing his or her life. At the moment 2,000 people are on dialysis. Since 1 January this year I am led to believe there has been no pancreatic transplant in this country. Since David Hickey resigned, or retired or was forced to go - what he did say was the conditions he was working in were intolerable----

He was not forced.

Eight people were on the list at that time. I ask the Taoiseach whether they were given the option of treatment abroad. Some 18 children in the last few years were given kidney transplants. From what I believe, that has dropped to four this year but the number of children requiring a transplant has not dropped. Sadly, because of a clash of characters we have lost two consultants. Mr. Zimmermann is gone to a foreign shore. William Shields has gone to England and Mr. Hickey has resigned or has so-called retired.

The best advice from talking to those involved is that if we are to get on top of the transplants we need 300 to be done per year.

At the moment, we are struggling to get 150 kidney transplants. In Galway-----

Could the Deputy put his question?

There are three transplant nephrologists in Galway but we need two surgeons because we could do with two places performing this at the moment. Has the Taoiseach been informed by the Minister about what is going on? The fact is that because of a clash of personalities, people's lives are put at risk.

The Deputy is way over time.

Why is the programme in Beaumont Hospital and Temple Street Children's University Hospital in disarray? Given what has happened over the past year, is the Taoiseach prepared to hold an inquiry or meet with these people and solve it once and for all-----

The Deputy did not hear me. Will he please put his question?

-----because around this country-----

Will the Deputy resume his seat?

Deputy Fitzmaurice raised a general point about transplants. It is a matter for people who may wish to supply organs for transplant, which is a very good thing to do. Not everybody has the courage or mentality to do that but it is something which is being constantly promoted and which I support.

I am aware of the situation concerning Dr. David Hickey. The pancreatic transplant service has been transferred to St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin with support from Edinburgh. This is a specialist area. I do not think anybody who has been treated or has had a family member treated in centres of excellence for cancer can complain about the professionalism that applies in a centre of excellence. The new service for pancreatic transplants in St. Vincent's University Hospital will go live this month. St. Vincent's University Hospital has appointed a number of new consultants and the service will start in January. It is anticipated that heart and lung transplants will be up this year but kidney transplants will be down. It is important to say that the transplant programme requires the support of people who wish to be organ donors. The Minister has indicated that the new service in St. Vincent's University Hospital will be structured differently from that in Beaumont Hospital and will not be dependent on any one individual. It is expected that this new service in St. Vincent's University Hospital will be exceptionally high-level.

The Minister has also informed me about Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, which is led by Professor Jim Egan with additional staff to identify suitable organs for transplant, and the living donor programme, which aims to get even more people to donate and involves the Department and the HSE covering the expenses involved. There is encouragement there for people to consider becoming donors. It is has always been difficult and requires specialist centres. What the Minister has done in transferring this service following the retirement of Dr. David Hickey to St. Vincent's University Hospital with consultants appointed and a first-class operation will add greatly to the comfort and health of those patients.

Is it not ironic that what appears to be the first time the Taoiseach has heard about this is through bits of paper pushed in front of him telling him what is going on around the country? Let us not forget that Dr. David Hickey was pushed. He was forced to retire. The Taoiseach has now admitted that since 1 January, and we are now talking about next January, there have been no pancreatic transplants in this country. Is it not serious for the Taoiseach to say that the Minister has done nothing for a full year to resolve this issue? Dr. David Hickey pioneered transplants in Ireland, is recognised worldwide and has offered to help the next generation in a voluntary capacity, which is unusual. Why will the Taoiseach and the Minister not meet this man and drive this forward for the betterment of the people of this country?

I resent the Deputy's comment about bits of paper. If the Minister for Health wishes to give the detail of an issue raised by the Deputy here, it is only right and appropriate that he does so. I am well aware of the change from Beaumont Hospital to St. Vincent's University Hospital and that the new programme is due to commence very shortly. There are difficulties in recruiting transplant consultants in Beaumont Hospital. The Minister, the Department and the HSE are working to make that situation more attractive. If the Deputy has an issue with Dr. Hickey being, as he said, pushed out, he should raise it directly with the HSE and the hospital management by way of a parliamentary question or Topical Issue matter. What is important here is that a new transplant situation applies in St. Vincent's University Hospital where consultants have been recruited and the programme is to start in January. It is expected that the pancreatic transplant programme will go live in advance of this. The projected date is mid-November subject to patients on the list being assessed by a multidisciplinary team, which will meet next week. I understand that arising from this meeting, seven patients who are suitable for pancreatic transplants will be listed.