Public sector morass - We need a minister for reform

OUR health services have endured stiff and justified criticism in recent weeks, culminating in the government parties — supported by the utterly dependent independents — seeing off a motion of no confidence in Health Minister Mary Harney.

Though not on the scale of the cancer testing or MRSA scandals, the admission by the Health Service Executive that it failed to answer a written parliamentary question about children’s psychiatric assessments for more than 18 months can only deepen disquiet about how the organisation sees its role in society.

This disquiet is somewhat but not sufficiently eased by the “fulsome” apology from the executive.