Health funding and service plan
Deputy Kelleher seeks an urgent debate on health funding, the HSE service plan, Fair Deal delays and medical-card withdrawals, criticising the Government’s record. The Taoiseach says the plan is being drafted and will refer the debate request to the Whips.
I assume when the Taoiseach finishes reading the programme for Government every evening, he files it under the fiction section. I seek a debate on the broader issues of health services funding and the HSE service plan over the next few weeks. The headline for the health area in the programme for Government is fairness.
Comment on this
More than 2,000 applicants have been awaiting approval under the fair deal scheme for 15 weeks while 7,000 medical cards have been taken off the over 70s over the past month.
Comment on this
We need a debate urgently not only in the context of the HSE service plan for 2015 but also the broader health policy of the Government because I cannot find one policy on health in the programme for Government which it has lived up to.
Comment on this
The health service plan is being drafted. I will mention the Deputy's request to the Whips. There is no difficult having a debate at the appropriate time.
Comment on this
We never do. It is always months afterwards.