Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I am very committed, as is this Government, to moving towards universal healthcare in this country, but I also know the steps that have to be taken and how difficult it is to achieve that. Part of universal healthcare and the Sláintecare vision is ensuring that everyone in the State has access to healthcare that is either free at the point of use or provided at a very low and highly subsidised cost. My party, in coalition with Deputy Howlin's party, made a very positive step in that direction even before Sláintecare by extending free GP care to all children under six and all adults over 70. I worked closely with the Deputy and the then Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to deliver that during the last Government.

This Government, comprising Fine Gael, the Independent Alliance and Independents, has built on that still further. We extended the medical card without any means test to all children with profound disabilities, 40,000 of them. We also extended free GP care to anyone in receipt of the carer's allowance and carer's benefit.

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