Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I echo much of what Deputy MacSharry said about the programme for Government. We were not impressed with it either and that is why we voted against Deputy Enda Kenny for Taoiseach. We can say that today the Taoiseach has made history. He has managed to cling on and achieve re-election.

I echo what other Deputies have said in congratulating those Ministers who are returning and in particular those Ministers who have been appointed for the first time. I wish them well in their endeavours. I fear that I am about to contradict some of what I have just said, but I will continue.

What did we get in the programme for Government after 70 long days? Did we get a fairer more progressive tax system? Did we get universal health care or affordable child care? Or is this package simply more of the same, tinkering at the edges to deliver some parish pump wins and secure support for the Taoiseach? I do not see any big vision contained in the pages of the programme.

What big vision for health was cooked up between the two main parties? Over the past several years, we did not get any of the promised reform of our health service. Now in the era of the so-called “new politics”, it is time we had a much-needed debate on the real issues in the health system, the real reforms needed and the resources which can make a real difference. Unfortunately, the programme for Government has none of that. A cursory glance at the document tells us that the new Government is full of ambition and good intentions. It tells us it will make efforts to prioritise aspects of the health service. What it is lacking is detail on how these will be achieved.

The section on health is divided into seven areas with a separate section on mental health, which is to be welcomed. The document looks at primary care, rural practices, healthy Ireland, emergency and acute services, waiting times, HSE reform and funding. It is devoid of real policy change, any detail or vision. It is destined to fail. Sinn Féin believes reform must be implemented in a planned and strategic way to move definitively towards a universal system of health care. There are many honourable aspirations in the document, such as tackling waiting lists. However, €15 million to deal with 500,000 people on waiting lists, people who desperately need to access services, does not add up. Similarly, taking one section of the health crisis without dealing with other elements of health care is short-sighted.

The programme speaks of annual performance targets. However, as seen with previous targets set by health Ministers, this will not be sufficient. The ever lengthening hospital waiting lists are a product of understaffing, a lack of capacity and inefficiencies in the system. There is nothing in this document which will incentivise even one nurse to return to this country. This document not only fails support staff working in our health service, but fails our nurses and doctors too. The programme continues the two-tier nature of our health system which is, in and of itself, central to the health crisis. The omission of support staff from the programme is a failure. It signals outsourcing, as I said previously.

After the remarks made by Deputies O’Dea and MacSharry, it must be pointed out Sinn Féin now leads the Opposition. We led it in a vote against Deputy Enda Kenny for Taoiseach. We did what we said we would do. We did not prop them up.

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