Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the justification and the reasons given, Covid is but one reason, but it is an important one. Covid will be with us for quite a while yet, unfortunately. The new Secretary General in the Department of Health will play a really important leadership role in respect of the vaccination programme and assisting the HSE in dealing with the fallout from Covid in day-to-day terms, but it should also be pointed out that our experience of Covid has reinforced the need for permanent improvements in our public healthcare system and in its capacity. That is why we have provided record funding for the Department in 2021. It is to increase our critical care capacity and acute bed capacity. Those benefits will be with us well beyond Covid. To be fair, while Covid features in the booklet published on the position, as it should, it is not the most significant element that-----