Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, fundamentally, in regard to the Secretary General's position, it was a policy decision and I have made my points already in respect of my views on the need to genuinely move on the health service and transform it. That does not depend on one position and I take the Chairman's point on that. I understand where people are coming from and people are entitled to have different perspectives on this. There has been a restoration of FEMPI, not fully or completely in all circumstances but in a substantial number of circumstances, and that will continue. Work is under way in terms of the Army and Defence Forces. Part of the programme for Government is to work on that and to set up a commission in respect of the future of the Defence Forces, and we have taken some early steps in regard to some aspects of the Defence Forces. We are going to move on those things.

Obviously, the initiation and development of the children's hospital was before the current Secretary General arrived but, nonetheless, it is illustrative of the scale of projects that can come under the remit of the Department of Health, and that needs to be borne in mind as well. I think there are about 90 non-commercial State bodies under the aegis of the Department of Health and, overall, we are talking about 125,000 people employed in health services more generally and €22 billion allocated.

There have been huge increases this year in terms of services. The €600 million for the winter initiative alone was unprecedented and very effective during the winter period. There have been 5 million additional hours for home care packages, a dramatic increase in home care provision this year and one that will have to continue, in terms of the demographic and other needs and improving our home care packages more generally, both in quality and-----