Mr. Robert Watt:

We have a private healthcare system and 45% of the population have private insurance. If we can build a public health system that can meet the needs of the population, I hope over time that people will see the benefits are not there for private insurance as they have thought historically. Ultimately, there is a private system in place. It has been a key part of our system for a long time now and there are entanglements between the private and public system which we have to address and Sláintecare sets out how are going to do that. I think there will always be a private sector. We need to look on it in some ways as something that the public system can access. During the pandemic we have accessed capacity in the private system and through various initiatives we are buying more. That is fine, as long as it is seen as a complement to the public system rather than a substitute for it. We need a public health system that people have confidence in and that delivers for people.