11th November 2003
The Broadcasting (Funding) Bill 2003 arrived in our house on Tuesday 28th October. Having a heavy cold, I had gone back to bed to go through it and the rest of my fan mail.
In line with the productivity required to justify benchmarking I now do three things at the same time. As well as reading the Bill, I was knitting and listening to Joe Duffy. Well, the abuse from his listeners about politicians with little moderation from him made me feel I should look at the Bill very closely so that I would be sure to be objective.
The Bill allows for 5 per cent of the T.V. licence fee to be allocated to a new Broadcasting Fund Scheme. The Fund would distribute that money to support
- new radio and television programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience
- new radio and television programmes to improve adult literacy skills, and
- the archiving of programme material.
If the lack of accurate information on life in Leinster House is as widespread as evidenced by Joe Duffy's respondents we'd be well advised to hold on to some of the money to start a show about ourselves. (Statements made included that senators were paid 80 thousand euro a year out of which they paid no tax and got extra expenses for going to the Forum on the European Convention in Dublin Castle. How have I missed out on this largesse?).
All right, we weren't in Plenary Session for a week but the Seanad is right up to date on any legislation that has been either introduced into the House or has come to us from the Dail. The Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002 has been back in the Department of Justice since its second stage reading in the Seanad and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003 is back in its Department too, the suggestions made in the Seanad having been so helpful it has nearly been redrafted.
Senator Feargal Quinn's Private Members Bill, which I seconded, forbidding totally the sale of passports was given an unopposed second reading in Private Members time. Minister Michael McDowell did say he'll do even better himself in this area next year and perhaps Senator Quinn would withdraw his bill when the Ministers' is printed. We'll have to keep an eye on that one.
We've even discussed the Hanly Report in both Seanad and at the Joint Committee on Health and Children.
Minister Micheál Martin came into the Seanad and made a good opening statement - he said that his starting point has always been "to do what is best for patients throughout Ireland, and this Report is about patients. It aims to ensure that consultants are more involved in patient care, taking a hands-on role in the provision of services; that junior doctors are better trained and aware and alert when they see patients and that patients will be treated in hospitals that are fully equipped and staffed to cope with their condition - whether serious or not".
The rest of speech was equally worthy and clear and the Minister finished by saying "we must now proceed to implementation".
We'll see. I'd say he got the best support from moi meme. But then I've seen so many Reports in my time that have not been implemented my view of them is pretty jaundiced.
Let's just take the Tierney Report - written in 1993, the then Chief Medical Officer pointed out that in 1984 there were 1800 NCHD's and in 1992, 2500. He more or less said not one more should be appointed yet here we are in 2003 with 4,000, if not more because they seem to be appointed on a daily basis. This increase seems to be a truly Irish phenomenon because Dr. Tierney pointed out that in a period where our NCHD numbers increased by 25 per cent Scotland did by 7 per cent, Northern Ireland by 2 per cent and the rest of England and Wales by 8.5 per cent. Were we really that far behind? If one considers the figures that follow in Hanly it looks as though the Department of Health for years had decided on the cheaper option of running the Health Service with registrars in particular working like maniacs rather than appointing an adequate number of consultants.
I tried to concentrate when I spoke on the implementation of the EU Working Hours directive. How this can be done by next August I do not know and the first thing I asked him to do was to set up a rostering officer in every hospital as recommended by Hanly. There are already problems in this area in several hospitals but I'll place a bet (10 euro) with the Minister that these officers will not be in place in six months time but Mr. David Hanly who came to the Joint Committee on Health and Children said implementation would have to take place or Ireland would face huge fines. Regrettably I've seen huge fines being paid before in other departments rather than the implementation of directives.
As for the plans for the Acute Hospital Services - much passion from many parts of the country was expressed by Senators from every quarter. I was around for the Fitzgerald Report so didn't get myself into a state of hyperventilation about them. I'd place a much bigger bet with the Minister about what will happen - nothing at all before the local elections in May anyway and the plan for the whole country is to be unveiled by Hanly in August 2004 - how about that!
Senator Mary Henry, MD
