Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 659 of 19 June 2012, if he will confirm if it is the case that the Health Service Executive at present has strategic plan documents covering various sectors or geographical areas within the health service, but no single, overarching strategic plan document that brings all of these together and sets out a vision for the health service and HSE as a whole; and if this is correct, if he plans to have such a document produced urgently or if instead he intends to implement his reform agenda before any such document is produced [31075/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE National Service Plan 2012 and four Regional Service Plans set out the type and volume of service the HSE will provide directly, or through a range of funded agencies, during 2012. In line with the National Service Plan, the Regional Service Plans were prepared in the context of the challenges faced by the health services this year in terms of reduced staffing levels, and a reduced budget, combined with increasing demand for services. My intention now is to accelerate the reform of how health services are funded and delivered in order to achieve a more productive and cost effective health system.

In line with the Programme for Government commitments, a series of legislative changes are planned to bring about radical reform of the health services which will ultimately lead to the introduction of Universal Health Insurance. On 29 May, the Government approved the drafting of legislation to abolish the Board of the HSE and to provide for a Directorate to be the new governing body for the HSE in place of the Board. The intention is that the Bill will be drafted as a matter of urgency so that it can be considered by the Oireachtas as soon as possible. In tandem with the proposed new governance structures, new administrative structures will be put in place in the HSE to reflect the need for a greater operational management focus on the delivery of key services and greater transparency about funding, service delivery and accountability.

The health reform programme is a complex and major undertaking that requires careful planning and sequencing. Detailed consideration must be given to the optimal structures for delivery of different services and to the critical inter-relationships between services as well as best practice in health care reform. These new governance and administrative arrangements represent important first steps in the process of delivering the reform agenda contained in the Programme for Government. The next steps, which will include measures to facilitate clearer and better integrated delivery and funding arrangements, are under consideration at present.