Senator Finucane referred to perceptions created, he maintained, before the recent general election. The perception set out to the people prior to the election was the national health strategy. The Department has developed this strategy to move away from short-term approaches to planning and provide a blueprint for the whole health system that will realise ambitious and wide-ranging change over seven to ten years. That is the policy of the Government in its key priority area of health. The targets in the health strategy are ambitious and they reflect the determination of the Government to deal with this area.