Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response, I think, but regardless of whether you are on the left or not in this country, what saps public confidence in our public healthcare system is lack of Government investment. I listened carefully to the Minister's commentary and it sounded to me as if he was observing rather than speaking as a member of the Government. As a member of Government presiding over what has been a good time for the public finances, why have we not seen the level of investment necessary to deliver on public healthcare? The roll-out of Sláintecare has been far too slow. The Minister mentioned that himself.

He did not respond to my three specific questions about necessary investment by Government to end the HSE's recruitment embargo. He did not address the projected shortfall of nurses we are seeing, which will cause serious shortfalls in the delivery of healthcare, or address the serious gap in pay for those in the community and voluntary sector who provide much-need home care and community care services - a topic Labour has raised consistently for many months. Our hospitals and acute settings cannot function without that investment by Government in community and voluntary care. I did not hear a response from the Minister to any of those three questions. Proper investment would restore faith and public trust in our healthcare system.

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