Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everybody to our quarterly meeting with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, the Ministers of State at the Department of Health, Deputies Alex White and Kathleen Lynch, and the representatives of the Health Service Executive, HSE, led by Mr. Tony O'Brien.

I remind witnesses and people in the Visitors Gallery to turn their mobile phones off or switch them to flight mode because they interfere with the broadcasting of proceedings. It is also unfair to staff as they cause interference in their headsets.

I have received apologies from Deputies Seamus Healy and Sandra McLellan. Deputy Robert Dowds was obliged to leave to attend another meeting.

I thank Mr. Ray Mitchell and Mr. Larry O'Toole from the HSE and the Department of Health for their co-operation in liaising to organise this meeting. I wish Mr. O'Toole every success in his impending move. I thank him for all his assistance to the committee. I also thank Stephen Doran from the Minister's office for his work. He has left to take up another position.

This quarterly meeting takes place against the backdrop of the budget and the impending HSE service plan. There are 36 questions from Deputies and Senators to the Minister and the HSE. The members of the committee are interested in, committed to and concerned about the delivery of health care. We are all of the view that this is about the delivery of a service to those who need it most. We are interested not in scoring political points but in ensuring that the committee makes a constructive contribution to try to help the delivery of care and the development of policy. That has been the focus of the committee since it came into being two and a half years ago. As the Minister saw with the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, this committee does not embroil itself in political point scoring. The backdrop of the meeting is an interesting and challenging budget for the Department of Health and the HSE and we look forward to the engagement with the Ministers and the officials.

I wish to put on the record my appreciation of and thanks to the staff of the Department and particularly of the HSE who, in the front line and back offices, do a great deal of work that does not get noticed. We appreciate that.

With regard to the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, the committee visited the new headquarters for the distribution of medical cards.

Arising from today's meeting, it would be important that we again visit and talk to the staff about the issues pertaining to medical cards and how the new centralised process has been working since our last visit. We will arrange a suitable date with Ms McGuinness after the meeting.

I remind the witnesses that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the joint committee. However, if they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair and parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I invite the Minister for Health to make his opening remarks.