Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When I write a letter, I am aware of the law of the land with regard to freedom of information. If I did not want processes to be transparent, I would not write letters. Presumably, the same is the case for anyone in my Department or anyone in the health service. I know some people, rightly, will use what this House has passed. I know how the law works.

It is an entirely transparent process that I set out clearly in writing, subject to freedom of information, for everybody to see what I expect. What was yesterday described as an extraordinary letter was actually a terribly unextraordinary letter. It basically told an agency that we had given a lot of money to it this year, it needs to live within its budget, that is the norm for every other agency and that is what it has signed up to do. A service plan is meant to be a list of what one is going to do in 2018, not a list of what one cannot do.

I take Deputy Kelleher's points, particularly about access. There is a need to do it much better. However, in the case of, say, home care packages, 750,000 more hours of home care will be provided by the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, and the HSE in 2018. The budget for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, has been doubled. We have already seen inpatient day-case waiting lists fall for five of the past six months. I expect that to continue right throughout 2018.

I am glad the Deputy agrees with me on the need for more capacity in the health service. That was not Government policy between 2007 and 2010, when beds were taken out the health service. We now plan to put them back in.

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