Health Bill and constitutional convention
Mary Lou McDonald asks when the publicly funded GP services Bill will be published and when the constitutional convention will begin; Burton says the Bill is scheduled this session and the convention arrangements are progressing.
When will the health (amendment) Bill, which provides for the phased extension of publicly funded GP services, be published and brought before the Dáil? This is the legislation associated with one of the central criticisms by the former Minister of State, Deputy Róisín Shortall, of the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. Second, when does the Government expect the constitutional convention to meet? We were led to believe it would convene at the end of this month, but there has been no subsequent communication and that timeframe is now clearly redundant. Can the Minister indicate a time line for progress?
Comment on this
The health (amendment) Bill is on the A list and will be taken later this session. I understand the procedures in regard to the appointment of members of the constitutional convention are not fully complete. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are anxious, however, to have the convention commence its work as soon as possible.