Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am very concerned for two reasons. First, criteria have to be based on something. This fifth criterion, what is it based on, if the Minister can actually tell us? He has made decisions but he cannot tell us what quantitative or qualitative data he is using to make such decisions. That is very worrying. These are the five criteria locked in stone, and for this one we have no quantitative or qualitative data that the Minister can share. Second, on the HSE plan, why are we waiting? This has been going on for a month now. I have been told the plan is going to be published. Last week, the Minister said it was going to the HSE board. The Taoiseach also said it was going to the HSE board. It has not gone to the HSE board. The independence of the HSE board is something I have raised here on numerous occasions. I have concerns. Is the issue trying to link up this plan with potential changes in the next phases as regards 2 m versus 1 m? There is an impact on health services in that regard. Is there a concern that they do not want to publish the plan because the volume of services will be so low that the public will really understand how deep a crisis we are going to have in non-Covid healthcare provision? Why is there such a delay? Why have we been promised for the past four weeks that a plan was going to be published? My colleagues and I used to question the HSE on this. That was all dropped politely a few weeks ago. We were told about this before it was dropped but we still do not have it. Where is it? What is the delay? What modelling is being done? What statistics, qualitative and quantitative, are being used? It is all very shady and deeply concerning because we have no transparency here.

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