Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to speak on this motion, both as a politician and as a medical doctor, in support of my ministerial colleague, Deputy James Reilly.

The health Ministry is one of the most challenging in any Government and even more so at a time when the need for reform is so great and availability of funds so limited. Deputy James Reilly sought to become Minister for Health. He wanted the job, unlike many others who either viewed it as an Angola or, as in the case of Deputy Martin, the architect of the HSE, navigated their way through it by establishing an apparently never-ending number of expert groups and consultative fora to develop grand plans while failing to deliver any of the necessary changes.

This is a Minister and a Government determined to deliver on the clear commitment contained in the programme for Government to develop a universal single tier health service which guarantees access to medical care based on need, not income. It is easy to point to the failings of the health service and we all know there are many, but we must also acknowledge the significant progress which has been made in the short 18 months since Deputy James Reilly became Minister.

Failings in the health service understandably give rise to public concern, but we need to have a balanced debate, one which acknowledges the progress made as well as the fact that there is so much more to be done. We also need to acknowledge that reform and improvement takes time. Under the previous Government, success was measured by the ever-growing size of the health budget rather than by what was achieved. Ministers congratulated themselves on spending more money every year and judged themselves on the size of their budgets. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, works in a country that does not resemble the country at that time and, alongside the Ministers of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch and Deputy Shortall, he has to reform the health service while reducing the budget. Collectively, they probably have the toughest job in government and they deserve our support and confidence.

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