The report of the Commission on Health Funding was a very comprehensive examination of a wide range of aspects of health policy including funding issues, eligibility for services, organisational structures and accountability. The report, and the consultation process which followed its publication, provided a most important input to the Government's decisions in these areas and to the preparation of legislation on foot of them.
The Health (Amendment) Act, 1991, is in place and has restructured eligibility for health services in line with the recommendations of the Commission.
As announced in September last, legislation is now being prepared to implement the Government's decisions on the reorganisation of health services in the Eastern Health Board area and the improvement of accountability in the health services in general. I am giving consideration to providing in this legislation for certain other recommendations of the commission, such as a greater degree of uniformity in the eligibility criteria for the various community-based services provided by health boards. I intend to bring the legislation before the House in the course of this year.