Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to acknowledge the increase in spending that has happened in the health service in recent years. The increase in spending has happened because we place such a priority on improving the health benefits and results for people going into the health system. Of course, we have challenges in the health system - every country does - because of the types of service we are trying to deliver. Over the course of that period we have increased the budget and seen more doctors, nurses, healthcare centres, as well as community supports and improvements in health outcomes, but challenges still remain.

Action is under way by the INMO. The mechanisms of the State are in place - the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. Both the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, have said they are open to the engagements that could happen through that process as it comes to a resolution. However, this has to happen within the parameters of the public service pay agreement. This is because the agreement has been agreed to across the public sector and that is what we are working towards in getting public sector workers back to the position where they were before the crisis happened in their pay and benefits. That was an important negotiation and it has been agreed to. We want to and have to continue with it. We have a responsibility beyond the nurses. It applies to them, of course, but it goes beyond them to all public sector workers and the wider economy in terms of the public finances.

Deputy Howlin referred to the GP contract. An important engagement between the State and the IMO resumed in October, as the Deputy said, and there were intensive engagements at the time, especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Some progress was made, but there are outstanding issues. We need to ensure that, as we benefit patients, we also provide value for money for the taxpayer. The State's negotiating team is keen to bring a renewed focus to the engagement with the IMO in the coming weeks in an effort to bring matters to a conclusion. We believe we can bring matters to a conclusion because it is so important in terms of what we want to deliver through GPs. The ability to deliver the service through them and do so in a cost-effective way not only for the taxpayer but also in such a way as to avoid adding a financial burden to the individual, family or parent who wants to bring a child to the GP is crucial. We need to find money through savings in other parts of the healthcare sector because we are doing it with GPs.

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