Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want an assessment from the Tánaiste regarding proposed legislation on the universal health insurance programme in the programme for Government. I have identified nine pieces of legislation in the programme for Government that were promised and that are key to universal health insurance. They need to establish the legislative basis for universal health insurance, the hospital insurance fund, the patient safety authority, the hospital care purchase agency, the HSE’s function of purchasing care for uninsured patients and the treatment purchase fund to deal with the transition. That involves legislation that has been provided for. There are also the universal primary care Act and the integrated care agency Act. There is no sense that any of this will happen in the lifetime of the Government.

Yesterday I asked about the health reform Bill, which was to provide for the disestablishment of the HSE. It was first put on the list in January but was not on the October list which we received yesterday. It is gone. This suggests the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, is getting his way. The Government owes it to the House. The programme for Government is redundant regarding universal health insurance and we will not see any of the related legislation before the end of the term of this Government. Could the Tánaiste clarify this? She has discussed the legislative programme and priorities for the next year and a half with the Taoiseach. The Minister for Health is trying to say these are not realistic propositions, and there is an onus on the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach to be honest and upfront with the House and the people and stop the mirage and almost fantasy land speak about all these changes which are not going to happen. They will not even happen for the five years after this general election because somebody said it might be the following general election before we see this. If the programme for Government is to have any credibility, it must be specific and precise on what is going to happen, not on what is not going to happen.

Could the Tánaiste indicate the commission of inquiry following the Guerin report?

See this speech in context