Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have heard that point on numerous occasions from front-line staff, as has any practising politician. I am trying to broaden how we view and narrate this issue. The political side of the issue regards how it is narrated in terms of the organisation being bloated and mangers being overpaid and so on. I accept that HSE management is overly bureaucratic but that is being driven by politicians and the courts. Reference was made to the level of awards. The layers of bureaucracy also result from the demand for accountability, as well as European directives and so on. There is not a culture within the HSE of seeking to create layers of bureaucracy to make life difficult for everybody. Court cases and demands for accountability by the Committee of Public Accounts or through parliamentary questions result in further layers of bureaucracy. We cannot have it both ways. We must accept that those factors are driving the bureaucracy. The parliamentary affairs division of the HSE is responsible for a significant volume of work, while a large number of staff in the Department are dedicated to dealing with queries from Members of the Oireachtas. Do we want that level of accountability or not? These are factors in the debate. I am not putting forward a blanket defence of HSE management but we must accept there is another side to the issue.