A clear majority of voters believe the appointment of Mary Harney as Minister for Health has not led to an improvement in the health service, according to The Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll.
Asked whether the appointment of Ms Harney had resulted in any improvement in the efficiency of the health service, 30 per cent of voters said it had but 58 per cent said it had not, while 12 per cent had no opinion.
Fianna Fáil supporters were strongest in their backing for Ms Harney with an almost even divide between those who thought she had brought about improvements and those who thought she had not.
Fine Gael, Labour and PD supporters were the most negative in their view of the Minister, while Green Party supporters were a little more positive.
When asked if the establishment of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the abolition of the health boards had resulted in an improvement in the health service, voters were even more negative with only 25 per cent saying it had and 58 per cent saying it had not.
The poll was carried out on Monday and Tuesday of last week in face-to-face interviews among a representative sample of 1,000 voters at 100 locations in all 43 constituencies.
On Ms Harney's impact since her move to Health, 46 per cent of Fianna Fáil supporters believed it had not led to an improvement but 45 per cent believed it had.
A significant majority of those polled favouring Fine Gael and Labour believed her move to Health had not helped, at 67 per cent and 73 per cent respectively.
Just one-quarter of FG supporters polled believed the health service had improved under her leadership, while just 21 per cent of Labour supporters did so.
Surprisingly, a clear majority of PD supporters - 60 per cent - believed her appointment had not resulted in improvements while 35 per cent said it had.
People polled in Dublin were significantly less positive about Ms Harney's performance than those in the rest of the State. In Dublin, just 22 per cent believed her appointment had resulted in some improvement while 64 per cent said it had not.
There was more support for the Minister outside the capital with 39 per cent in the rest of Leinster being positive, 31 per cent in Munster and 32 per cent in Connacht/Ulster. There was a more positive response from rural dwellers compared with urban dwellers to developments in health.
People over 65 were much more positive about the Minister's performance than younger people with an almost even split between those who were positive and negative.
Given that older people use the health service more than younger people, this will be of some consolation for Ms Harney.
On the issue of the HSE, people were even more negative with 58 per cent of voters saying it had not improved the health service and just 25 per cent saying it had.
In terms of party allegiance, Fianna Fáil voters were much more supportive of the HSE, with 36 per cent saying it had improved the service compared with just 15 per cent of PD supporters. Fine Gael and Labour supporters were marginally more positive than the PDs while the Greens were considerably more likely to back the HSE.
Dublin was again the most negative part of the country with just 18 per cent saying the HSE had improved the service. In the rest of Leinster that figure jumped to 31 per cent, in Munster it was 27 per cent and in Connacht/Ulster it was 26 per cent.
Those over 65 were more likely than younger voters to say the HSE had improved things.
There was also an urban/rural divide with 21 per cent in urban areas believing improvements had happened, compared with 61 per cent who did not. In rural areas, 31 per cent believed services had improved, compared with 54 per cent who did not.
