Bernard Allen
Ceist:87 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will set up an all-party Dáil Committee on the health services.
Written Answers. - Health Services Committee.
The Government have coherent plans for the development of the health services which are based on the recommendations of a number of working groups which have reported in recent years. These groups have considered the development of particular services as well as the broader issues of the funding, structure and management of the services.
The Government are now implementing their plans in a structured way. The implementation began in February 1990 with the announcement, in the Dáil, of the action plan. The health commitments of the Programme for Economic and Social Development represent the latest initiative in furthering the implementation of our plans.
The Opposition parties have had ample opportunity to contribute to the process of developing health policy through the many Dáil debates which have been held on the health services, the latest of which was last week, and also in their own policy responses to recent reports.
Bernard Allen
Ceist:88 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the five-year capital programme which will bring the health service into the 21 century.
My Department are currently preparing a medium-term health capital programme to consolidate and improve the infrastructure of the health services. Pending the completion of this work, I am not in a position to give details of the specific developments that will be included in the programme.