Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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431. To ask the Minister for Health the timeframe to which he is working to establish an implementation office for Sláintecare; when the post of senior executive to lead that office will be advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42301/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, I supported the establishment of the cross-party Committee on the Future of Healthcare and have consistently supported its work. I have welcomed the publication of the Sláintecare report and in particular I have been encouraged by the level of cross party consensus and stakeholder support that it has attracted.

I am committed to making tangible and sustainable improvements in our health services and the Committee’s work now provides a framework to do this. I have briefed Government colleagues on the report and I have received approval to move ahead with the establishment of a Sláintecare programme office. This office will be tasked with implementing a programme of reform, as agreed by Government, arising from the Sláintecare Report. It will be led by a senior executive with the appropriate experience and skillset including a strong track record in implementing reform. My Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have sought to ensure that we are positioned to attract candidates of this calibre in what will be one of the largest public service reform processes ever undertaken in this State. It is essential, therefore, that we get this recruitment process right. I expect the recruitment to be advertised very shortly.

In parallel, work is underway to develop a detailed response to the report. The report is wide reaching and it is important that appropriate time is allowed for it to be fully considered and for implementation arrangements to be properly designed. I will report back to Government in December on the work we are doing on translating the Sláintecare Report into a programme of action.