Harney announces new legislation to hold doctors to account

Minister for Health Mary Harney has today published new legislation to ensure doctors are held accountable for their practices.

It follows a number of controversies in the health sector, including the Dr Michael Neary scandal.

Minister Harney today described the new bill as "the first major step in reforming the health sector".

She described the current law as "deficient", but said she was confident the bill would prevent scandals like the one that necessitated the Lourdes Hospital inquiry from happening again.

The new legislation gives the Medical Council greater power to ensure doctors are competent, and that all complaints made by patients are investigated.

The composition of the Medical Council will also be changed to include more lay-people, and no one body will have a majority representation.