Order of Business - 14th November 2007

Order of Business - 14th November 2007

Senator David Norris: In reiterating the calls made by Senators yesterday for a debate on the health service, I would like to emphasise one aspect of it. Somebody must have been listening to what was said yesterday when a number of Senators, including myself, raised the question of hospital hygiene. It is worrying that, according to the report published yesterday, a large number of people die from hospital-acquired infections. When I was watching television last night, I discovered that despite the proliferation of managers and systems in the health service, we do not have precise figures for the level of mortality that results from hospital-acquired infections. It is astonishing that the health service authorities have admitted that we do not know how many people actually die. We learned in this morning's newspapers that our hospitals are not just dirty - they are actually filthy. Just seven of this country's 51 public hospitals are rated as "good", the vast majority - 35 - are "fair" and nine are "poor", which means they are really dirty and dangerous. Is anybody surprised?
An Cathaoirleach: Does the Senator want a debate on this issue?
Senator David Norris: Yes. It is very important that a debate be arranged to allow us to look at this situation. The point I made yesterday - that it is not acceptable that it can take a long time for spillages of human waste to be cleaned when contract cleaners are in hospitals for a limited number of hours - was emphasised again today on the radio. I direct the attention of the Members of the House to a passionate letter written by Dr. Patrick Plunkett, which is published in today's The Irish Times. All Senators should read it.
The Seanad debate on dirt in hospitals could be widened to reflect the fact that we are a filthy people. I really do not know of any other society that is so dirty. When I said in this House a couple of years ago that people routinely urinate and defecate in the streets of Dublin, I was laughed at and wisecracks were made by Senators on all sides of the House. Respectable people can often be seen putting their feet up on the seats of public transport. God knows what they have been walking in. If a nurse sits on such a seat, for example in a train, he or she might bring whatever was left on it into a hospital. Are we surprised? It is time for us to recognise and deal with the idea of Irish filth. Perhaps I will make a suggestion off the top of my head - why not do a Chairman Mao on all these managers? Just as he sent professional people to work in the fields to give them a taste of physical labour, why should we not make hospital managers do a bit of cleaning?
Senator Joe O'Toole: We could do a Pol Pot on it.
Senator David Norris: Yes, even better. Wonderful.
Senator Jerry Buttimer: They are all Trinity graduates.
Senator Jim Walsh: Good one, Jerry.
Senator Dominic Hannigan: That is not a subject for flippancy.
Senator Jerry Buttimer: There go the votes from Trinity.
Senator David Norris: Can I ask about the Defamation Bill 2006? When I raised this matter a week or two ago, the Leader agreed with me that it was not a good idea to reintroduce it on Committee Stage as 35 Senators - a majority of the Members of the House - had not had an opportunity to discuss it on Second Stage. He said my proposal was sensible. I see that sense has not yet broken out on the Order Paper - the Bill is still listed there for Committee Stage. We know that the Minister has decided to drop the Privacy Bill 2006, which was supposed to partner the Defamation Bill 2006. As a consequence of some significant developments in this regard - I refer to a series of libel cases resulting from some damaging reporting in the newspapers - we have some new information that should be taken into account. Will the Leader provide for a sensible discussion on the Defamation Bill 2006, instead of taking a short cut by reintroducing it on Committee Stage?