Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Kearns worries me with some of the things that he says because they are true. Time is something that comes in to focus. The problem is that there is not time. For instance, emergencies occur all the time. I want to bring in the rest of the speakers on my list as quickly as possible. We need to implement the proposed changes as if they were part of the system already. In other words, we need to use a template that incorporates on the one hand Sláintecare. The bits that have to be kept that fit into that fit into it. However, they can fit into it now. It is like making a jigsaw. The pieces fit into place and it is not necessary to wait until everything is ready. They can be fitted into place one at a time or whenever.

Having listened to the points made by the members and by Mr. Kearns, I am worried that there appears to be a certain amount of vagueness about who tells whom what happens next and from whom it should come. The HSE and the Department have responsibilities, but there needs to be a co-ordinated approach because if we do not have that co-ordinated approach, we will be talking about a five-year plan, a ten-year plan or a 20-year plan, which we cannot afford. That would be time wasted.