10 March 2004
Dr. Henry: I am the last of the terrible trio from Trinity. Senator Ryan may think we are precious but most people think we are very valuable.
I listened with great interest to the Minister of State who said the Government sees it as the responsibility of the boards of State bodies whether in the commercial or non-commercial sectors to give leadership and strategic direction, define control mechanisms to safeguard public resources, supervise the overall management of the bodies' activities and report on stewardship and performance. That does not really mean toeing the line. A Senator on the opposite side of the House stated that board members are expected to toe the line and that is why there is an element of political appointment involved.
Huge responsibilities are placed on people who agree to serve on semi-State boards or public bodies. I referred to a matter on yesterday's Order of Business and stated that I would return to it when the occasion arose. I refer to the revelations in an article by Fintan O'Toole in The Irish Times yesterday about the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. There have been terrible difficulties with that service for over ten years and, as the Minister of State is aware, the IBTS is still not out of trouble. There continues to be problems between the unit in Cork and the central unit in Dublin. In late 1999, despite having good staff, the board still had grave problems in encouraging the public to believe that it was doing a good job. It was a great stroke of luck that Professor Patricia Barker from Dublin City University agreed to take up the chair of the IBTS. She resigned in August 2001 and has never spoken about the matter. No one knew, therefore, why she had done so. However, it emerged in the article to which I refer that she had not been supported by the Minister for Health and Children in respect of the expertise required among members of the board. She wrote to the Minister - she received no reply - to the effect that there were serious gaps in the board regarding skills and competencies.
Professor Barker asked to meet the Minister in March 2000 but this meeting never took place. Instead, in September of that year the Minister appointed people to the board none of whom, while I am sure they are honourable and excellent, possessed the skills Professor Barker felt were required. For example, she sought people with competency in the areas of audit, finance, human resources, legal, pensions, transfusion medicine, pharmaceutical grade manufacturing and blood user or strategy expertise. She stated she was extremely concerned about the gaps she had identified. The Minister appointed to the board seven medical consultants. As a medical consultant, I can confirm to the House that I would not have expertise in any of the other areas outlined by the professor. Medical consultants are always being upbraided for their lack of broad knowledge.
The Minister also appointed to the board one building society marketing executive, a retired hotelier, a university registrar, a hospital manager and a person from the Department of Health and Children. I am sure these are all excellent people but in view of the fact that the Irish Blood Transfusion Service was in such a mess, one would have thought it would have been advisable for the Minister to be guided by the professor. I am sure there are plenty of members of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats who possess the type of expertise required. The situation was not helped by the fact that many of those appointed were from Munster. I cannot understand how, from the entire country, the Minister could not find people with the competencies sought by the chairperson of the IBTS.
Senator Minihan made a good point when he stated that we cannot question appointments in terms of the knowledge and suitability of those involved. It is particularly awkward to do so when such people have already been appointed. Perhaps it would be better if a list was drawn up and people with adequate knowledge could be asked who on it would be suitable to fill appointments to particular boards. It is extremely awkward to object to people on an individual basis.
This is a good example of where competency exists - I am sure it can be found in Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats - in terms of getting suitable people. At the time in question the board was in dire trouble and people were appointed to it whom the chairperson felt could not do the job. The Minister was correct in what he said about what is required from members of boards who must shoulder huge responsibilities. How many other boards have experienced difficulties similar to those I have outlined about which the relevant chairperson did not object strongly enough? The answer is that we do not know. Changes must be made.
I was appointed to Comhairle na nOspidéal by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour Ministers and I received no payment or even expenses. People who serve on that board are heavily out of pocket because they give up work all the time. I am sure the same is true of those who serve on other boards. We must move away from the idea of toeing the line because these boards have major responsibilities. I would place the Irish Blood Transfusion Service ahead of commercially sensitive boards in terms of importance because it has the lives on people in its hands.
I recently read a report from the 1950s on the treatment of mentally handicapped people in Ireland.
A member of that commission, Mrs. Kingsville Moore, produced a minority report which two other board members supported. In it she said that she felt single sex institutions should not be in charge of such people. It would have done a great deal of good if someone had taken notice of her, when we see the sad cases of sexual and physical abuse arising from these institutions. Far from being put there to toe the line, we need people on boards with some independence of spirit and with the required expertise, knowledge and competence. I have given a very serious example of a board where this has not happened and we owe Fintan O' Toole a debt for having published that article.
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