Dr. Sara Burke:

I agree with the Deputy's first point on putting the cart before the horse and we presented on some of this last week at our seminar. From my read of the strategy, action 6 on "universal eligibility", which is not at term anyone has ever used previously because it is about entitlements, is about reviewing charges and the current eligibility framework, developing a policy proposal and then introducing legislation with no timeline beside it. In fact, Sláintecare outlines clear timelines on legislation, phasing and introduction. It is a step back in commitment rather than a step forward but it was good to hear the Minister speak about entitlements this morning.

With regard to action 9 on the workforce, there are certain "Sir Humphrey" sections in the implementation strategy, in that they go on and on but do not give up too many specifics on how to move them forward. Perhaps this is where politicians can come into it to firm up some of these actions to have better commitment in them.