Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá trí cheist le cur agam faoi reachtaíocht atá geallta. Baineann an chéad ceist leis An tAcht Sláinte, 2007. Baineann an dara ceann leis An Bille um Dóchmhainneacht Phearsanta (Leasú), 2014, the Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014 and baineann an triú ceist le the general medical service Bill 2015.

Maidir leis an gcéad ceann, the Minister for Health last month said he planned to give more power to HIQA and to do this by amending the Health Act 2007. This takes on a particular urgency given the loggerheads between the HSE and HIQA at this time. Part of the problem is that HIQA recommendations in a report on one hospital do not carry across into other hospitals, although they may face the same problems. There is actually no mechanism that I can find within the Department of Health or the HSE to implement recommendations which HIQA makes in reports. When will the legislation to allow the Minister's proposed reform be published and will it put in place a mechanism to ensure that the HIQA recommendations are implemented across the health services?

As regards the Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill, there are more than 7,000 orders for repossession sitting in the courts, and the fact is that current Government policy facilitates the repossession of family homes because it provides the banks with a veto over any efforts to find a resolution. According to Central Bank figures, there are now 37,778 homes in the most serious of arrears and these families are most likely to be facing legal actions. This is double the figure from September 2012. The Government says it plans to introduce new legislation - is this is addition to the Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill? Was this crisis discussed this morning at the Cabinet meeting? Does the Government intend to change or do away with the veto that the banks exercise?

The general practitioner medical service Bill 2015 was to provide universal GP services to all persons aged 70 years or over. Last year, the Dáil passed the Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014 to provide for free GP care for under-sixes. We were told this would be in place by the end of last year. When that deadline was missed in December last year, the Tánaiste said she was confident it would be rolled out in the new year. It is still not there and now we are told it will be in place by June this year. Can we get some clarity on this? Will the long-promised free GP care be available in June this year and when will the health (general practitioner medical service) Bill 2015 be published?

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