Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The establishment of this committee was most definitely a positive development and I too commend Deputy Róisín Shortall on her initiative. The terms of reference rightly recognised the severe pressure on the health service and the need to establish a universal single-tier service where patients are treated on the basis of health need rather than on ability to pay, something my colleagues and I in Sinn Féin have long been calling for.

While I welcome the fact that the work of the committee to date is before the Dáil, this particular interim report lacks substance and content. That said, I understand that many of the engagements and dialogue with the various stakeholders have yet to take place. However, with the budget looming, this provides us with an opportunity to focus on a number of issues which need to be addressed as part of the committee’s work and indeed, as part of the Government’s budget for 2017.

On Tuesday, I, as Sinn Féin spokesperson on disability rights, launched our disabilities document as part of our alternative budget 2017 entitled, Rights, Respect and Inclusion. The fact that this document was launched on the first day of the Dáil’s resumption reflects the importance we place on the issue of disability rights. Disability is a societal issue, affecting people of all ages and their families, directly and indirectly. We want to see a society in which all citizens, including those with disabilities, can play a full and independent part in all aspects of life, relying, as far as possible, on mainstream services for health, education and employment but with the support of tailored disability services where necessary.

As part of our alternative budget for 2017 we would invest an additional €54.812 million in the prioritisation of disability services. That would employ 600 additional front-line staff, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. We would provide 500,000 additional personal assistance hours. We would invest in neuro-rehabilitation teams and transitional services and would provide an increase of 20% in respite care services.

We have also provided €19 million to ensure that all children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance would be automatically entitled to a medical card. We would address the high cost of prescription charges and medicines by investing €56 million. The overwhelming body of evidence shows that charges for drugs can lead to higher costs on the health budget in the medium to longer term, not to mention the serious strain and ill effects they can have on the health of many who need medications. Prescription charges for medical card holders were originally introduced under a Fianna Fáil-led Government and were subsequently increased by Fine Gael and the Labour Party, despite pre-election promises to reverse them. Specifically, we would reduce prescription charges by €1 per prescription and lower the drug payment scheme monthly limit from €144 to €132.

Those are all costed, credible, necessary and most important, achievable measures that would have a significant, positive impact on the lives of so many, including those living with a disability in Ireland. For too long the most vulnerable in society have been used as easy targets with cut after cut imposed on them. That must not be allowed to happen again. The measures I have outlined are only the tip of the iceberg. Sinn Féin has long been committed to the realisation of a world-class system of universal health care, accessed on the basis of need, free at the point of delivery, and funded by progressive taxation.

Back in June, and on the establishment of the committee, I said that I hoped the committee would not simply provide a talking shop but rather would be a gathering of people with ideas, vision, and most important, solutions, to bring about the changes that are so desperately required in the health system today. That hope still stands. I wish all involved the best of luck with their work in the time ahead and I look forward to the final report in the coming months, and not too much beyond that because, as Deputy Kelleher suggested, the report might take longer to produce. Ádh mór ar an obair iontach agus tábhachtach.

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