Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the Deputies for their contributions, many of which were thoughtful and detailed in terms of the specific legislation before us and the two measures it contains. There has been a wider constructive debate around healthcare as well. It is a conversation we need to keep going. I have taken pages of notes. We will find more opportunities for continuing that conversation, including the scheduled statement and question-and-answer session in the House tomorrow on Covid-19. I acknowledge that a lot of work, thought and effort went into Deputies' contributions. I also acknowledge the spirit of solidarity and constructive debate on health. We all disagree with each other on any number of issues. It is part of our job to debate and push and challenge each other's ideas. In healthcare, there has been a lot of solidarity this year with the onset of Covid. I acknowledge that while Deputies will, of course, undoubtedly be holding me to account and pushing me, the Minister of State and the Government hard on various issues, as is right and proper, there is a genuine sense across the House that we are all bought into a single vision, which is Sláintecare, and we are all bought into the fact that we fight and act together on Covid on behalf of the country.

It might be of use to the Deputies who contributed and to the wider House to point out the three main points of focus that the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler and Feighan, the Department and I are considering. The first is Covid-19 and doing everything we can to protect the country, not only from a health perspective but from a social, mental health and economic perspective. Inevitably, we will get some things wrong and some things right, but there has been a great sense of solidarity. I was talking to a senior figure in the WHO last week and he was highly complimentary of Ireland's response to Covid, notwithstanding that it has not all been perfect. He said that when international experts look around the world, one area where they have said Ireland stands out, and one of the reasons they believe the prevalence rate here is so low, is that the political co-operation has been very impressive and has made it possible for things to happen that in other countries have not happened. They see political parties and politicians in other countries getting into destructive and self-serving debate. The man I was talking to said that one aspect that has marked Ireland out is that while there is, of course, political debate and political challenge, there is a great sense that we are in this together and are trying to find solutions together. I have heard that during this debate and I thank my fellow Deputies for that.

The two measures we are bringing forward will benefit the young and people who are older than 70 years old. They will ensure that, irrespective of ability to pay, all children of primary school age will be able to access a GP service without charge when required. This will enable childhood illness to be identified and managed early, which will have a positive impact on children's futures. It is not everything. It is not that all services will be free for everybody; that takes time, money, resources and capacity. Nevertheless, the measures in the Bill will make GP care free for 300,000 additional children. That is something we should be proud of as an Oireachtas because the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will be asking Members of this House for the money to do that. It is a profoundly important step forward.

The increase in medical card limits will support older people to manage their health needs and will build on the benefit already provided by the GP visit card, which every person over the age of 70 automatically qualifies for. This will ensure they can access a wide range of healthcare services at no cost or low cost to help them achieve healthy ageing. I have gone through the figures with the Department. While the SWITCH model and other models have different estimates as to how many people over the age of 70 this will help, of those who do not have the medical card, it is a lot, while everyone over the age of 70 will already have qualified for the GP visit card. The increase in the threshold is only 10%, or from €500 to €550 for a single person, but the percentage of people over the age of 70 who currently do not have a medical card and will now get one is well in excess of that. It will be of great benefit, therefore, to many people. Most Deputies will have been contacted by people over the age of 70 who are waiting for this to happen, so I am very glad to bring it forward.

If the first big task we have is Covid, the second is the resumption of services, winter planning and ensuring we have a comprehensive plan in place that goes beyond anything that has been seen before because the Covid world means we must succeed as the winter approaches.

The third part is Sláintecare. The Bill is the first item of health legislation we have brought before the Oireachtas and it is not accidental that it concerns Sláintecare. It is a core building block of Sláintecare and I hope the House sees it as a serious statement of intent to progress universal healthcare, which is the core mission of the programme for Government and probably of most of us in the House. We will deliver it through Sláintecare and the very good work that is being done in that regard.

I thank Deputies again for their contributions and for their stated support for the Bill.

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