Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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151. To ask the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the health care system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18577/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In relation to the matters raised by the Deputy, a key commitment of the Programme for a Partnership Government is the establishment of the Oireachtas Committee to develop cross party consensus on the future of the health service. As I have said, I believe the health service would benefit enormously from a single unifying vision that we can all get behind and that can help to drive reform and development of the system over the next ten years. I'm pleased that the House agreed to move ahead quickly on this and get the committee up and running. We all know that the health service faces many challenges. The Programme for Partnership Government acknowledges that we have an ageing population who are living longer, whose needs will become greater and more diverse, and that we also have the highest birth rate in Europe. All of us, as citizens, at some point in our lives, will need to access our health services, and so we have a common interest in finding a common way forward in improving and developing our health services.