Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to continue the process of dismantling the HSE and evolving it into a health commission in view of the programme for Government commitment in this regard. [34869/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The health service is currently embarked on a major programme of change. Over the last number of years, seven Hospital Groups have been created (with approximately six to eleven hospitals in each group) and nine Community Health Organisations have been established which manage primary, community and social care services.

Work is progressing on these new entities which will lead over time to a decentralisation of decision making, initially on an administrative basis. As well as representing major building blocks for universal healthcare, they comprise important initiatives in their own right with the potential to drive performance improvement and deliver significant benefits in terms of timely access to high quality care.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the continued restructuring of the HSE stating “We will continue the process of dismantling the HSE, evolving it into a Health Commission”. However, as I have previously stated, I do not intend to pursue further structural reforms while the work of the Committee on the Future of Healthcare is ongoing. The Committee has been tasked with developing a long-term vision and strategy for our health services and provides us with a real opportunity to achieve a sustainable political consensus on the future direction of Irish healthcare. I look forward to the outcome of the Committee’s deliberations early next year.