Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, my understanding is that the health overrun will not affect the Minister of Finance's ability in terms of his spending or tax plans in the health space. On the assets, I will ask Ms Magahy to respond later to that question because she has a body of work to do in mapping out people need and the capital and infrastructural need over the next number of years.

On the comment that the HSE is not fit for purpose, it is reassuring that it is not just me, as Minister for Health, who is saying that. The director general of the HSE also said that. I am happy to echo the Deputy's point that there are many brilliant people working in the health service, such that saying the HSE is not fit for purpose is not a jibe by me or any political at the staff of the HSE and the work they do or endeavour to do but a recognition that the HSE, as currently set up, is not fit for purpose. I want it to be clear that under Sláintecare the HSE will continue in existence but it will be slimmed down in that many of its functions will be devolved to regional entities in line with the strategy. Unlike the UK Minister referenced by Deputy Donnelly, I make my comments in the context of the plan we are discussing. On when I expect to make the changes, by the end of the year I will be in a position to return to this committee or the Dáil to set out what I think, based on the Sláintecare report, the geo-alignment should look like.

In 2019, we will begin to devolve some of those functions on an administrative basis. The implementation plan states that to allow the system to bed down, we should legislate for those changes in 2021, but, as I said in my earlier engagement with Deputy Kelly, I have an open mind and instinctively would like to legislate earlier if there was a majority view in the Oireachtas that we should do that. By the end of this year, what the map of Ireland from a structural point of view will look like will be published. From 2019, we will commence administrative changes and from 2020 to 2021 we will begin legislating in this regard. That is my proposal, which is very much in keeping with Sláintecare.