James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate in order to set out some of the progress achieved to date by my Department which underpins the development of universal health insurance by 2016. The preparatory legislative and organisational groundwork for the UHI system currently in progress will be put in place and completed within the Government's term of office.

The Government is the first in the history of the State that is committed to developing a universal single-tier health service, which guarantees access to medical care based on need, not income. We will, unlike the failed policies of Fianna Fáil, introduce UHI with equal access to care for all. Under this system there will be no discrimination between patients on the grounds of income or insurance status. The two-tier system presided over by Fianna Fáil for decades will end. Contrary to Deputy Kelleher's suggestions, no one on this side of the House ever suggested that the mess left by Fianna Fáil could be fixed at the press of a button. On the contrary in opposition at the time, we were the first to be honest and mature enough to say it would take two terms of Government to fix this and put in place an equitable system.

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