Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Government's pre-election promises on health included free general practitioner, GP, care for all, universal health insurance and dealing with the crisis in our accident and emergency departments. All of these promises appear to be in the process of being pushed over the horizon of the next general election and disappearing into smoke. Will the Taoiseach arrange for the sub-committee on health to have a discussion on whether it is the case that all the pre-election promises to sort out our crisis-ridden health service are being shunted off until after the next general election? Following that meeting, will he clarify whether that is the case for the Irish public and this House? Are those promises now being abandoned? The Government cannot even manage to implement the free GP care for children under five years of age, not to mind provide it to everybody, or to sort out the universal health insurance, given the row that appears to be erupting between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister. After the next meeting of this sub-committee, will we get clarity on those matters? People need that clarity.

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