I refer to the report on the future of health care, the Sláintecare report. I am concerned there has been very little reaction from the Government to it. I know that it is only two days since it was launched, that it will be presented to the Cabinet next week and that it will be in debated in the Dáil on 16 June, but it is very important that it be kept to the forefront. It is much more than report; it is a blueprint for reforming the health service, the people's health service. We must understand why reform is absolutely necessary and must be implemented, not next year or sometime in the future but now. Soon our ageing population will overwhelm primary care and hospital services. Trolley queues are endemic in hospitals and there are lengthening waiting times in outpatient departments and for procedures. The report is a blueprint for reforming the entire health service, not just bits of it to satisfy crises when they occur. If a problem for scoliosis or cycstic fibrosis patients is highlighted, it is partially dealt with and if the trolley queues are longer than usual, they are partially dealt with, but there is no overall plan for the health service.

The report clearly identifies the need for change. Additionally, it outlines a ten-year vision for transforming the health service. It gives direction and impetus. We must move away from fragmented, disjointed and incoherent health service planning which lacks cohesion and credibility. We must address the lack of capacity in the system. It is a cross-party report. The reform programme needs political commitment at the very highest level, from the new Taoiseach's office, to drive it forward. We have had three Fine Gael Ministers for Health in the past six years and they have all failed to reform the health system.

Hear, hear.

The strength of the reform programme is that it challenges everybody to engage in cultural change. It challenges the Government, the Department of Health, the HSE, doctors, nurses, hospital and clinical management. It demands a lot from people but it also promises fairness and equality. We must have a health service of which we are proud and people will not be afraid. It will not be cheap but doing nothing will prove much more costly. The Sláintecare reform programme plans to respect the patient and staff in equal measure and will reward those in the public service fairly for their hard work. Spending money on an inefficient system gives very poor value for money.

We must spend money on transforming our service into a new, coherent and patient-responsive one. Can the Government commit to this reform programme and what is its response to it? The country is waiting for the Government's response and the Government will be judged on how it acts in transforming the health service.

I acknowledge the Deputy's expertise in this area and the work done by Deputy Shortall and the members of the Committee on the Future of Healthcare. The country would be pleased to see an all-party approach to health. Every citizen and every Member wishes to have a health service as described by Deputy Harty, that grants equal access, is fair and provides a good service. When speaking about health I always make the point that many good things are happening in our health service and I have no doubt that the Deputy would be the first to acknowledge that. There have been tremendous improvements in cancer care and dealing with heart attacks and strokes. There have been huge initiatives and extra funding. The Deputy spoke about the need for a coherent approach that would be continued across Governments and Ministers. If we could arrive at that point, it would be welcome.

I refer to what the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, said. When the committee's report was published earlier this week he acknowledged that he had wanted to see support from across the Houses of the Oireachtas for a cross-party committee to work on a ten year strategy. He said, "I firmly believe that this is the last chance of this generation to get this right and to take the politics out of health". We have agreed that there will be a full day debate on Thursday week on this important document. Clearly, it includes many suggestions. One of the proposed initiatives, a greater focus on primary care, is already the goal of the Government and funding and priority have been given to that. However, the report goes into greater detail in that regard. Other areas identified also concur with the Government's policy. We have a ten-year plan but clearly issues arise relating to, for example, the funding of it, the timing, the pace and the priority areas. We will benefit from the discussion in the House and if a second day is required we will provide for that as well.

The Government has given an initial welcome to the report but has not yet had an opportunity to consider it in detail. It certainly will do that.

I acknowledge that there have been huge improvements in some sections of our health service. The difficulty with planning the health service is that it is fragmented. There is a lack of integration and of an overall plan in the health service. A ten-year vision for the service is lacking. We move from crisis to crisis and from year to year. There are annual budgets but there must be multi-annual budgets. There must be a new framework for how we fund the health service. Underpinning that, there must be governance, accountability and answerability in the service. We must introduce legislation. The most important aspects of this report are the introduction of legislation and the establishment of an implementation office. If an implementation office is not introduced within the first three months of the report being published, we will know whether the Government is serious about this. We must have this reform driven forward and introduce legislation, governance and accountability, which is sadly lacking in our health service. I earnestly request that the Government take on a ten-year vision for change and not allow our fragmented service to continue.

When the committee was doing its work, it invited many experts to its meetings and received the contributions of many stakeholders in the area, including health care professionals, academics and other interested parties. Undoubtedly, that contributed hugely to the report. The Government acknowledges the level of expertise that went into framing the report so it must be taken extremely seriously. I believe every Member of the House would like to see a ten year plan to which everybody would adhere and work. There are issues, of course, and we will have the debate on Thursday week. The Deputy's point about an implementation office is very well made. It also requires a whole-of-Government approach because funding is such a huge issue.

Clearly, the Ministers for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Health, and the other relevant Ministers have a key role in future funding. The funding needs are great; there is no question about that. It is an extra €1 billion this year. We are seeing considerable sums of money going into our health service. We have to make sure the reforms are happening and that the money is well spent.