Mr. Robert Watt:

I thank the Deputy for the question. To those who say there is institutional resistance, I am available to talk to anyone and I would ask him or her to tell me two things – the issue the Department is resisting, be it a policy issue or aspect of Sláintecare, and who is resisting. Is it me, Mr. Reid or someone else? I am not accusing the Deputy of making general comments, as he is reflecting what people are saying, but making general comments that there is resistance to change or reform in an organisation is too easy. There is something in it of people having watched too much "Yes Minister", with civil servants going around unwilling to make changes and only looking after their own interests. That is 40 years old, to say the least. I do not listen to radio, but I have been told that people have said on radio that there is not only resistance, but "brutal resistance", which apparently is an even greater form of resistance than normal resistance. If people have evidence of that brutal resistance or resistance, they need to tell me. They can email me, text me or even organise a meeting and I will listen to their evidence of the specific issue they are referring to and which officer is involved. Is Mr. Patterson resisting the change? Maybe he is, so let me know. I do not know. Is someone else resisting the change? Tell me who-----