We now go to the Solidarity party. Being the humble person that I am, I have to apologise because Solidarity is ahead of Independents 4 Change in the ranking order, for some reason.

That is fine and I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. A Programme for a Partnership Government refers to the introduction of universal healthcare. How does that tally with the news that the VHI will provide access to new cancer drugs that will not be available for public patients? Does the Taoiseach agree that the very notion of two-tier cancer treatment is horrific? Does he also agree that it means embedding a deep inequality within our health service and that it brings us closer to the horrific model of private healthcare in the United States? In reality, this will mean that those able to afford access to VHI will be able to get different treatment and, ultimately, potentially a better chance of surviving cancer than those relying on public health services. It will result in a further undermining of our public health system and an extension and deepening of the two-tier nature of that system. It will take us away from what we stand for which is the idea of a properly funded one-tier national health service.

The Government's commitment to universal healthcare is a very real one. It is evidenced by the fact that prescription charges for people with medical cards are going down and by the fact that prescription charges for those who do not have medical cards are also going down through the reduction in the drugs payment scheme, DPS, monthly cap. It is also evidenced by the fact that we are extending general practitioner, GP, care without fees to more and more people. It will first be extended to those aged under six and over 70, then to those in receipt of carer's allowance and carer's benefit and then to children with severe disability or cancer. This month there has been an increase of 10% in the income limits for free GP care and that will mean that more low-income working families can qualify next year, including children aged seven and eight. That is what is happening from the Government's side to deliver on universal healthcare. It is happening in a slow way but in a way that meets and matches capacity. The decision made by the VHI is a decision made by one insurer and I do not believe the others are following suit. That decision is also in respect of private patients in private hospitals and not public hospitals. I understand that under a Solidarity system private medicine would be banned and private hospitals would be closed down.

There would be no need for them if a proper healthcare system was put in place.

That is not something we are proposing to do. As far as public hospitals are concerned, however, all patients will continue to receive the same medicines whether they have health insurance or not and no matter who they are insured by. The best system would be a single system of approvals, with the European Medicines Agency, EMA, deciding on a European-wide basis which medicines are approved for use and setting a fair price as to reimbursement.