Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and will take Deputy Kelly's constructive suggestion and be brief in my opening statement because I have circulated it to members and I am aware that they want to get into the questions and answers section of the meeting.

I am pleased to be here today and to have an opportunity to be joined by my Secretary General, Jim Breslin, and also by the chief executive of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid, and his team.

I do not wish to cover the same ground that my officials already did last week at this committee but I am conscious in being here today that we are meeting in the context of Britain's intention to leave the European Union at the end of this month and the very real possibility of a departure in a no-deal scenario, according to the British Prime Minister's statement of intent to leave on 31 October, come what may. I want to acknowledge the enormous amount of work that has been undertaken by the health sector at a governmental level, from the Department of Health, the HSE, the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and so many others. I also want to acknowledge those beyond the governmental and State level, namely the stakeholders we have been working with collaboratively - the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and so many others - in preparations in the official, agency and industry sectors.

I want to assure the committee and, more important, the public that we are focused on being as ready as we possibly can be. We are well prepared to troubleshoot issues as they arise in the days and weeks following Brexit and to minimise any disruption to citizens. I also want to assure the committee that a citizen of Ireland will be able to access the same health services after 31 October. Patients will continue to avail themselves of health services on an emergency and planned basis when travelling to the North or the UK. There is a commitment on the part of both Departments that the established North-South co-operation in health matters will continue. This is so important, as has been the goodwill and a deep embedded culture of working together North and South when it comes to health matters.

At the request of Government, my Department finalised legislation yesterday which we brought to Cabinet to provide benefits to residents of Northern Ireland similar to the those of the European health insurance card in the event of a no-deal Brexit. This is something that has been very much welcomed by all parties in this House, in Northern Ireland, and by society in the North in general. This was an idea that we had already dealt with in the Brexit omnibus Bill, in terms of North-South and east-west reciprocal health arrangements. We have gone a step further here where, if a Northern Ireland citizen finds himself or herself ill while on holidays in Spain or France or somewhere else in the EU, we have agreed to assist them in meeting the costs. With the co-operation of the Oireachtas and this committee, Chairman, my intention is to pass that Bill into law in advance of 31 October; I look forward to working with the committee in that regard.

Supply lines for drugs and medical devices are all being examined. Significant buffer stock is already held within the domestic supply chain. There is no need to stockpile medicines by either a patient, a pharmacy or a hospital. This is an important message for our citizens and for our health service to hear. To do so would hamper access to medicines by those who need them when they need them.

Brexit has been a key focus for all of us but there are many other ongoing health service issues.

I understand the Chairman has invited the executive director of the Sláintecare programme office to attend a meeting of the committee later this month. As such, I will not dwell too much on that aspect other than to say that since we last met, we have taken several significant decisions towards the implementation of Sláintecare. One of the most significant of these relates to the publication of the de Buitléir report on removing private practice from public hospitals. I have made clear my view that this should be done. It is entirely unfair and inequitable to have private practice continuing unabated in public hospitals while public waiting lists lengthen in many specialties. It is an unfairness that must be addressed. I hope there is similar clarity from all parties in the Oireachtas on the need to tackle this issue. I accept that many colleagues here have offered that clarity, but it is not forthcoming from some others. The expert group did a good job of tackling this complex issue and I thank Dr. Donal de Buitléir and his team for their work. I intend to consult with stakeholders and colleagues before returning to Government later this year with a response to the recommendations and an implementation plan.

Another significant development is our decision regarding the restructuring of the health service, the effective dismantling of the HSE as currently constructed and the establishment of regional entities. Since I was last before the committee, we published the capital plan, which outlines more than 250 projects across the country, the provision of 480 new beds, 30 new primary care centres, 58 community nursing units, and significant investment in mental health and disability projects.

We are planning for the winter period, which is essential to do. I hope to be in a position to announce additional resources for winter planning as part of budget 2020 to reduce delayed discharges or transfers of care, get people back into the community, increase home care provision and improve access to the fair deal scheme and to transitional care. I expect the chief executive officer of the HSE will comment on the significant work being done by the HSE in this area.

Next Thursday, we will launch the HSE's flu vaccine campaign. This year, for the first time, on foot of a recommendation from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, a quadrivalent vaccine will be offered, which provides a substantially greater level of protection to the population compared with the vaccine given in recent years. We have had good leadership from politicians across the political spectrum on the promotion of vaccination efforts. I note that Deputy Kelly spoke recently at the Global Vaccination Summit about the importance of vaccination programmes. I ask all members to encourage at-risk groups to get the vaccine, including healthcare professionals. More broadly, we must continue to emphasise our support for vaccination programmes and work to debunk the myths associated with them. I could say a great deal more on this, but I must allow time for the other speakers.