Interruptions come thick and fast during health debate

DÁIL SKETCH:IT WAS the penultimate dress rehearsal. Bertie Ahern was gone as Taoiseach from the hallowed Dáil chamber and incoming-but-still-not-quite-yet Taoiseach Brian Cowen stepped up to the plate for leaders' questions.

And, of course, like all dress rehearsals, it had its pitfalls, the first being the Angolan topic of health.

Mary Harney had just taken health questions so when Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny raised the traumatic question of hospital infections and the deaths of patients in Loughlinstown and Ennis hospitals, she was beside the Tánaiste to whisper information to him as he focused on the Fine Gael leader.

Mr Kenny questioned how the failure to appoint a microbiologist to Loughlinstown hospital put the patient at the centre of the health system, the claim repeatedly stressed by the Minister.

Mr Cowen, who sympathised with the bereaved, said infection control was "a rising priority in all advanced health systems", infection rates were down and the Minister had pushed the introduction of infection control systems.

"Waffle," shouted Fine Gael's Alan Shatter. "The Minister has failed abysmally."

The Minister was stripping services from hospitals and not replacing them with anything better, said Enda, who referred to the massive amounts being spent on cleaning but "extra money does not mean cleaner hospitals".

When the Tánaiste started answering, Fine Gael's Billy Timmins roared over that the coroner had reprimanded the HSE for failing to do anything about appointing a microbiologist. "It's a disgrace."

"If Deputy Timmins has a good case to make, he does not need to shout me down. That is if he has a good case," said the Tánaiste.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore took up the hospital infection theme and gave the statistics; "30,000 people in a year, 600 per week or 80 per day who acquire hospital infections. That is an epidemic." The hospitals had sought help, he said.

When the interruptions kept coming thick and fast, as the Tánaiste said, he retorted: "A serious question has been raised and I would like the opportunity to answer it. The deputies have had an hour for Question Time and they have probably got nowhere, but I would like to deal with Deputy Gilmore's inquiry."

Fine Gael health spokesman James Reilly responded: "We were getting nowhere because we could not get straight answers. We are not getting them from the Tánaiste either."

"You're not at an IMO meeting now," said the Tánaiste.

"You're not in Tullamore at a Fianna Fáil cumann either," replied the Fine Gael man.

"Perhaps the deputy should come to one and he might learn something," said Brian.

"If it's more of what I have seen already, I doubt it," was the sharp retort.

The argument continued and the Tánaiste said structural changes were being made.

Yet if there was huge flak from the Opposition on health it was appealing in a conciliatory fashion for Taoiseach-like action from the Tánaiste on the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

Enda was very concerned about the leaflets doing the rounds "that the Lisbon Treaty will introduce euthanasia, abortion, the limiting of family sizes, tax harmonisation, an ending of neutrality, an ending of sovereignty, the introduction of a dictatorship".

Eamon Gilmore said the Opposition couldn't win the referendum. The Government had to act. Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin called for respect for the rights of others to offer an alternative view.

Then the Tánaiste launched into a state of the nation-like address about the strategic importance of the treaty, and a call for deputies to have "courage" to believe in the discernment of the public when correctly informed.

Time will tell.