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

The air we breathe is political. I had thrown my eyes up to heaven because my father was talking about politics again and he said "Louise, everything is political". We cannot depoliticise health. We can say we want to but we cannot. The Minister described the position very well, and I do not want to put words into his mouth, but he said something along the lines that "if you want to go there, I would not start from here". We are not starting from a great place. The political choices of previous Governments are what has led us to be in this place. However, that said, we have an opportunity now to come together, put our shoulders to the wheel, set aside those political differences and get behind this report 100% rather than implementing it in a piecemeal manner, which is my concern.

I fully welcome the words of the Minister with regard to his support but I also noted a certain amount of equivocation, which is not what is needed. Rather we need a concerted effort to accept this report, and I say that coming from a party whose members believe this report could have gone an awful lot further. That said, we are prepared to do all within our power to ensure this report is implemented. There should not be a delay in its implementation or any waiting for the right time to do so. The health service is in a perpetual state of crisis. We read about it in the newspapers we hear about it in the media. Now is the time is be ambitious, to be bold, to take action and to get fully behind this report rather than try to implement it in a piecemeal manner.

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