Former Kerry Mayor resigns from HSE "talking shop"

[Kerrygold]

From todays Examiner:

http://www.irishexaminer.ie/irishexa...416-qqqx=1.asp


A number of other councillors have expressed their disatisfaction with these Health Forums
and it is rumoured that some of the Lab members may follow Cllr. Ferris' lead.

Is it time to completely reform the HSE?

[rockofcashel]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

[kerrynorth]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

Then again if she was not standing for re-election would it matter.........

[rockofcashel]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

Then again if she was not standing for re-election would it matter.........

Yes in fact.. if she behaved like most reps who weren't intending re-election, she'd be screwing the system for every soft penny she could get from it

[qtman]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

ROC, she isn't required by law to claim the expenses, you know.

I have no doubt that the Forums are talking shops (thankfully) but this is just grandstanding. All she had to do was not turn up. A Press Release wasn't required.

[qtman]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

ROC, she isn't required by law to claim the expenses, you know.

I have no doubt that the Forums are talking shops (thankfully) but this is just grandstanding. All she had to do was not turn up. A Press Release wasn't required.

[rockofcashel]

why not qt.. maybe she realises that she's wasting her breath.. if maybe a few more people (or God forbid, parties), stood up to the nonsense of having a HSE which is nothing more than a "responsibility shield" for an under-performing Minister, then maybe people will start demanding real change

[qtman]

why not qt.. maybe she realises that she's wasting her breath.. if maybe a few more people (or God forbid, parties), stood up to the nonsense of having a HSE which is nothing more than a "responsibility shield" for an under-performing Minister, then maybe people will start demanding real change

Yes she is wasting her breadth, as she should be. Local Authorities representatives are elected to hold the Local Authority Executives to account, not the HSE.

[qtman]

DP

[Kerrygold]

Fair dues to her... not too many willing to give up "soft sinecures"

ROC, she isn't required by law to claim the expenses, you know.

I have no doubt that the Forums are talking shops (thankfully) but this is just grandstanding. All she had to do was not turn up. A Press Release wasn't required.

Firstly she didn't issue a press release. The Irish Examiner contacted her.

These forums were set up to give local politicians the oppurtunity to ask questions relating to various sectors of the local health services etc. A number of Cllrs from different parties expressed their concern with the Forum as it was not serving any useful purpose. Last January Cllr. Ferris said that the Standing Orders and the organisation of the meetings of the Forum were preventing representatives from raising serious and substantive issues and that it was closing off debate. Indeed she did not turn up to a couple of meetings (IIRC) because of this and for the fact that it was a waste of tax payers money.

The final straw for her came when it was announced that Prof. Drumm would be attending one of their meetings and that they would have the oppurtunity to question him. They had to give 3 weeks prior notice of any questions they wanted him to answer. She did this and he didn't address a single question at the meeting.

She was Kerry County Councils representative on the Forum so she had to resign so that KCC could nominate someone to replace her. Cllr. Terry O'Brien (Lab) subsequently resigned from the chair of a committee he had held.