Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Primary care will improve; there is no ifs, ands or buts about that. The 35 primary care centres identified by the Minister, and more, will be built in the lifetime of the Government. In recent weeks the Minister is more determined than ever to deliver on primary care and he has a good Minister of State to ensure that will happen. I can assure the House the delegation orders are signed and that the Minister of State will deliver on primary care. Primary care is extremely important. It is a pity it is politicised to the degree it has been in recent weeks. It is a political issue but it is not a party political football. We have had enough of that from all sides of the House in the past 15 to 20 years. The health service was gradually dismantled in the past ten to 15 years and has to be rebuilt. Unfortunately, as the sections are spread all over the place, trying to get a handle on how bad it is, and a handle on the overspends and the phenomenal waste of money that has taken place in the health service in the past decade, will take time.

While the Minister is doing that he is also trying to formulate a plan and impose his ideology. He is also trying to improve the structures, as we saw in the Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill debated earlier, and trying to ensure that accountability stays with the Minister and Ministers of State and is not kicked off to the Health Service Executive as happened under previous regimes, which legislated to ensure they were not accountable and could kick the ball forward. We have had to legislate to bring that back to ensure that accountability lies with the Minister. That has been achieved in the legislation. In fairness to the other side of the House, some interesting amendments were proposed to the Bill which the Minister will take into consideration. It must be acknowledged that he was fair and reasonable in the parliamentary discourse that took place today.

In general, there is much positivity in health. Primary health care will be the big ball issue in the coming years that will be delivered but a number of other deliveries are also taking place. The bones of ¤2 billion has been taken out of the health service and there has been improved delivery. Waiting lists are being reduced. Roscommon hospital provides a great service in plastic surgery and other areas. I spoke with people in Roscommon last week and they are absolutely delighted with the service.