Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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I have received apologies from Senator Tom Clonan. I have a few housekeeping matters to go through and the first is the declaration. In accordance with Standing Orders, I wish to make the following declaration:

I do solemnly declare that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on Health without fear or favour, apply the rules as laid down the by House in an impartial and fair manner, maintain order and uphold the rights and privileges of members in accordance with the Constitution and Standing Orders.

Good morning, members. I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed the Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on Health. I welcome members to the first meeting of the joint committee and look forward to working with you in the spirit of partnership and co-operation to address many of the issues that the Department of Health faces and the issues faced by the bodies under its remit. The role of this committee is important; we have crucial roles in scrutinising legislation and as a forum for public accountability and policy analysis. We will begin with a round of introductions so everybody gets to know each other. I propose that members introduce themselves and outline their background, their constituency, where they are from and their particular interest in health.

I am a TD for Cork South-Central. I am a new TD but I previously worked in the Oireachtas. Before that, I worked in human rights organisations with a particular interest in sexual and reproductive health. A key interest of mine is in the wider reform of the healthcare system and the delivery of Sláintecare to ensure we deliver universal healthcare. We will go around in a circle starting with Deputy Cullinane.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I am the Sinn Féin health spokesperson. I sat on the Joint Committee on Health during the previous Dáil. This committee has an important role. It holds the Government and Ministers to account and gives a platform to different groups, campaigners, advocates and representative organisations, which we did this well in recent years. It is also an opportunity for members from all parties and none to come together on issues where there is agreement and to try as part of our work plan to advance healthcare, which I assume we all want to do.

There are obviously lots of issues we need to get through and when we get to the work plan, my list will be as long as everybody else's because the committee has not sat for so long. We have a huge amount of ground to cover very quickly and we do not have many dates left between now and the summer recess. I am looking forward to the discussion on our work plan.

I commend you on your appointment as Cathaoirleach. I look forward to working with you and all the members of the committee.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I am the Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath. I was previously party spokesperson on defence and education. This is my first time on the health committee. A particular area of interest of mine is mental health and also women's health. We have a huge job of work to do and we do not have a lot of time to get it done before the summer recess. Critical for us today will be to get a work plan that reflects not only the reform that our health services need but where we want to see health services in the State being.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I am a first-time Senator, based in Cork North-West. I am really pleased to be on the health committee. This is my first term. I have a very big passion for our healthcare system and the need for reform in many spaces. Predominantly, my focus is on women's healthcare, particularly women's reproductive health, which is something I am really passionate about. I am glad to be here and looking forward to getting stuck in.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I am TD for Cork North-Central. I was on the health committee from 2011 until 2024. I was out of it because I was made Minister of State at the Department of Health. My whole focus since I became a Member of the Oireachtas has been advancing healthcare and trying to make sure that people have access to healthcare regardless of income or whatever. The important thing is access to healthcare in a timely manner. Members of previous health committees have worked very much as a team, which is the only way we can advance change.

There are a lot of things we need to get done. For instance, one of the big issues I have relates to our failure to computerise the healthcare sector. It is costing huge money because there are paper files everywhere a patient might go. With the advances in computerisation, there is no excuse for this. We are now the last in Europe. It is about making the healthcare sector more efficient. That is one of the things we should try to work on over the next three or four years. I am not prepared to take excuses any more on this issue. Even though I might be a Government TD, my issue is still about accountability. The Department of Health and all other Departments need to be accountable to us and deliver healthcare in the best possible way for the entire population.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I am based in Donegal. I am delighted to be a member of the health committee. There are many issues in rural areas that need to be sorted out. Coming from a rural community, it seems to me that everything is centred around the big centres in Galway or Dublin. Rural GP services are a big problem with us. Regarding cancer services, people need to get on a bus in Inishowen and travel maybe four or five hours to Galway to get cancer treatment. Letterkenny general hospital needs to be upgraded to a high standard. One of my biggest bugbears is with the ambulance service. Coming from a rural community, I recognise our ambulance service is just not working for us in rural parts of Donegal. We also seem to be left behind in that.

Transplants are a subject very close to my heart. We need to put a different focus on getting transplants for people. My wife has been waiting for four years for a kidney and what a difference that would make in her life. It is things like that that I am trying to get sorted for rural communities.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Comhghairdeas to you, on your appointment as Cathaoirleach. Having met you yesterday, I have no doubt we will have a very pleasant journey for the next four and a half years. I am from the lovely village of Abbeyknockmoy in east Galway, which is a very rural area. I am the mental health spokesperson for Fine Gael. It is something I bring to the table following many years of advocating for positive mental health and supporting people in crisis.

I am a team player and I would like to think that I do all things in a fair and balanced way and for the common good. I expect the work of this committee to be efficient, empathetic and compassionate in everything we do. While we all have parochial issues to deal with, I would like to think that we would look at the national picture and be as efficient as we can in dealing with the issues that present to us.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I am a first-time Government TD for Fianna Fáil. I am a GP by profession from the rural area of Ballygar in County Galway. I have been involved in medical politics for 25 or 30 years. I was president of the Irish Medical Organisation for four years. I have been on negotiating teams for every GP contract negotiation since 1998. I am also involved in the joint faculty of sports and exercise medicine with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. I have served on the board on two occasions and have been treasurer twice.

My interests lie with help for those living in rural areas and mental health. I know you have indicated that we will have a job of work to do dealing with amendments to the Mental Health Bill. It will be very important to tease that through here. I agree with Deputy Colm Burke that the digitalisation of our health service is vital. Ireland is seen as an international hub for IT and yet our hospital system is lagging behind. It is less of a problem in our community system. Our general practitioner services have been 98% computerised and paperless since the introduction of the chronic disease management system in 2019. It was negotiated and brought in during the Covid pandemic and has been very successful. It is contingent on GP practices being computerised and there is a 98% uptake there. At the moment when GPs send in referral letters to hospitals, they are printed off in hard copy and someone is running around the hospital delivering them to people.

Equitable access to health services based on need and not on the ability to pay should be the absolute bedrock of any health service in Ireland. I do not want to hog time here but I am delighted to be part of the health committee and I congratulate you on your appointment as Chair. Like my next-door neighbour here, Deputy Roche, I am a team player and I would be happy to work with anyone to progress matters at this committee.

Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I am a first-time Senator from the constituency of Dublin South-West. I was previously a councillor in Tallaght Central. I am very happy to be on this committee. My passion grew from my experience of having been diagnosed with breast cancer at 36. I have come through the health system and seen flaws but also positives. In talking about accountability, we need to be accountable when we are talking about the positives. We need to educate people on what is available and what is not available. It is fine to highlight what is not available but by not highlighting what is available, we are doing people an injustice. I am not into point scoring; I am into the greater good and achieving change. Obviously, I have an interest in breast cancer health. I run Ireland's largest online support group for that. I regard myself as having my finger on the pulse of what is going on in that sector.

Having said that, there are other illnesses and I will also focus on rare diseases and dementia. Health is an ever-evolving sector and the needs are also evolving. At some points we are not actually doing stuff wrong; we may just not be on top of things, especially with new medications coming out. We need to make sure we get access to what we need as quickly as possible. We also need to keep an eye on all health concerns. I know we all have our individual passions on health but if something lands at somebody's door that we do not have a passion for as such, we need to be mindful of dealing with it and being passionate about that as well.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair and reiterate my congratulations. It is good to have a Corkman in the Chair even if it is not the same party. I thank him for giving his time over the past few days. He has met a number of members and has offered to meet everybody. That was appreciated as well. It is hard to follow members like Deputies Burke and Daly with their CVs. I have a particular interest in rare diseases and orphan drugs, which Senator Costello mentioned, and the whole reimbursement system. I jointly chaired the cross-party group on rare diseases over the past three years with Deputy John Lahart. I look forward to continuing that work. I am a team player. This committee is about accountability, transparency and the job of work it can deliver. I also look forward to contributing to policy.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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I thank members. It is great to get introductions from everybody. There is a wealth of professional, personal and political experience in the room. Hopefully, we can use that collective experience to improve healthcare services for everybody.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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In view of there being four members from Cork on this committee, will the Chair consider having some of the meetings there?

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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We will consider it. There are two other matters to consider. The first is the nomination of the Leas-Chathaoirleach. As members are aware, the committee may choose a Leas-Chathaoirleach who can perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Cathaoirleach in his absence. I propose that we take nominations for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. Members may wish to consult with each other and send those nominations to the clerk to the committee in advance of the next meeting. We suggest that the nominations be sent by Monday, 26 May, and the selection of the Leas-Chathaoirleach will happen at our next meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next matter relates to utterances by members. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of a person or entity. Therefore, if their statement is potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, I will direct them to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

We will go into private session now to deal with some housekeeping matters.