Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome this important initiative in the development of our community based health care services. I welcome the commitment to remove restrictions to trade and competition in sheltered sectors. I represent a constituency with both urban and significant rural areas with many houses and families spread out over a wide geographical area. I am keen to ensure that all residents in my constituency and throughout the country will be able to access the same standard of care. We cannot allow a situation to arise whereby rural residents are deprived of the same standard of care as their urban peers due to urban areas being seen as more profitable. I compliment the Minister on following up on the Fine Gael general election manifesto and on his strong support to date for primary care medicine in Ireland.

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