James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to echo what the Minister of State said about Croke Park II.

If Croke Park II is accepted, it will be a real triumph for all of the people of Ireland, particularly those using our health services. It will give us many more hours of nursing to enable us to provide more care and services. We can look forward to exciting times of real change in our health service, which will improve conditions and outcomes for patients. There will be new opportunities for those working in the health service as we explore new ways of doing things and delivering more care.

I thank everyone who works in the health service for staying with us. It has been difficult for them but they have done a super job. Given that we have some of the best doctors, nurses and managers in the world, we must ask why do we not have the best health service. It is because the service was allowed to evolve in a chaotic fashion. We are putting order on it and everybody who works in the health service has had an input into that. I want them to continue to have that input and I thank them for it. I thank my colleagues on the committee and the officials from the Department and the HSE for attending today. I include those who did not get an opportunity to speak but who were here and ready to inform us should specialist information have been required.