Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Nothing in what the Minister said indicates we will see changes that will impact on the important front-line service delivery systems within the health services. Nothing he has signalled in terms of so-called reform will in any way reduce the impact of the cuts announced in budget 2012 in terms of the delivery of front-line services this year.

I welcome that the Minister is putting a timeframe on the introduction of legislation, which means we will at least have an opportunity to scrutinise what is intended. The Minister, in response to a question from me on the White Paper on the financing of universal health insurance which he proposes to introduce, indicated in this House that it will be three or even four years before that White Paper presents. Is that still the case? As such, these so-called reforms are very much long-fingered proposals and what the Minister is doing is tweaking at the higher echelons of oversight and management. Nothing the Minister is doing will impact on the front line in terms of the needs of people and patients.

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