Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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The subvention as a measure of economic failure is an important point to bear in mind. I am not surprised that much of the discussion has been orientated towards health because it always does in my experience. This includes among the constituency in the community that I come from, which would primarily advocate for, and believe in, constitutional change. However, people do have these concerns and as colleagues have noted, it is why planning, preparation and an understanding of what comes next are crucial. The witnesses have touched on this regarding the NHS in the North. Like many others, I grew up with the NHS and have been cared for by the NHS. I feel a really close attachment to it. That is why it is so devastating for me and many other people that it has been gutted, hollowed out and decimated by Tory austerity policies over the last 12 years. The current models of all-Ireland care for cancer, cardiology or paediatrics point towards a system that can do better. Within a changed constitutional scenario, we will have all-Ireland healthcare. The key question has to be what kind of system will that be. That is an inevitable question that people ask, so I hope it is not an unfair one. Looking at the existing models of all-Ireland care under the current arrangements, do they point to a clear opportunity to build a new system of care within a changed constitutional context?