Professor Steve Thomas:

I thank the Deputy for the question. Sláintecare requires a massive amount of investment. It is a complex system reform. It is not really part of the day-to-day management. As we have looked at, there is competition between the day-to-day management and radical reform processes. Also, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We do not have free GP care. We do not have reduced waiting lists. We do not have private care out of public hospitals. We do not have the regions. This is all despite us being six years on. Thus, the current mechanisms do not seem to have delivered, although it could be argued we have had lots of different things going on in the background. There are big questions to ask about the appropriate governance and obviously the appropriate political commitment and resourcing that go along with that. I am supportive of going back to the original design if that then means we have the appropriate political commitment and the appropriate drive and resource allocation to back it.