Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Chairperson on her appointment. I know she will be excellent in the Chair because when I served in government with her, she was very passionate about this topic. It will be a difficult task but I am looking forward to working on this committee. There is a number of points that we need to get out in the open. In our discussions, when the word "we" is used, it should not be a reference to our political parties but to a collective unit greater than politics. We will achieve more. Ultimately, this could be the most important committee of the Oireachtas for many years. There has been no consistency in the thinking on health care for generations. If we are to formulate a plan, and I like the terms of reference, on what we are trying to achieve, we must adopt a completely different approach, one which is open. I am very much taken by what Deputy Daly said. We should start with the basics, what we are trying to achieve, how we should go about achieving it in practice and what is strategy. That is a very important point.

People know that I am a practical person. I think our meetings should take place as much as possible on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Life in the Oireachtas is busy for everyone but I hope we can meet even if it means early morning meetings.

The next issue is the politics of health. As politicians, we are politically tuned in but the most political issue in Ireland is health care.

We need to be alert to the politics of health care and be able to recognise lobbying from witnesses and others. I think the Chair will have to be clinical in her dealings. Obviously, we will be lobbied to death. Perhaps Deputy Harty will have a function to distinguish between what is important on a day-to-day basis. I and others on this committee are on his committee also.

Our role is to put forward a pathway for the future of health care. We also must look at the domain in which we are working. There is no point in meeting for six months with the idea of developing a utopian vision, which is not realistic. We have to create a vision of what can be realised within the realistic constraints in Ireland. We can be expansive and ambitious, cutting through all that has happened in the past in setting out a plan that is robust, but there is no point producing a report that is not practical and implementable. That is critical. If we go the distance in doing that, we will have achieved a great deal.

While six months might seem a long period of time, it is actually short. I understand we will have a separate discussion on resources but the level of resources required will be incredible.