More to do, admits Drumm at last Oireachtas meeting

ATTENDING his last Oireachtas committee meeting on health and children as HSE chief executive, Brendan Drumm claimed that during his five years at the helm of the controversial health agency “solid progress has been made” but added “it would be naive to think that we still don’t have some way to go”.

Both Mr Drumm and Health Minister Mary Harney stated there will be no reversal of funding decisions in relation to respite care services for the mentally disabled provided by some religious orders. In an apparent reference to the respite controversy which saw up to 2,000 disabled people and their carers march to the Dáil earlier this month Mr Drumm said that “no longer” would funding decisions be made according to those “that shout the loudest”. Ms Harney commented only two of the 42 organisations that provide respite services for the mentally disabled said frontline services would be cut due to HSE reductions in funding.

Referring to the closure of respite services run by the Brothers of Charity in Limerick Ms Harney said she did “not accept that with a €25 million budget services needed to be cut”. However Labour spokeswoman on health Jan O’Sullivan questioned HSE officials about why they had not met the brothers in direct talks. She was assured such a meeting was being put in place to facilitate the reopening of the service.