I propose to take Questions Nos. 146, 659 and 677 together.
My Department has primary responsibility for advising me on issues relating to national policy development and review, while the HSE has responsibility for the delivery of health and personal social services. In line with the Programme for Government commitments, a series of legislative changes are planned to bring about radical reform of the health services which will see the introduction of Universal Health Insurance.
On 29 May, the Government approved the drafting of legislation to abolish the Board of the HSE and to provide for a Directorate to be the new governing body for the HSE in place of the Board. The intention is that the Bill will be drafted as a matter of urgency so that it can be considered by the Oireachtas as soon as possible. In tandem with the proposed new governance structures, new administrative structures will be put in place in the HSE, to reflect the need for a greater operational management focus on the delivery of key services and greater transparency about funding, service delivery and accountability.
The health reform programme is a complex and major undertaking that requires careful planning and sequencing. Detailed consideration must be given to the optimal structures for delivery of different services and to the critical inter-relationships between services as well as best practice in health care reform. These new governance and administrative arrangements represent important first steps in the process of delivering the reform agenda contained in the Programme for Government. The next steps, which will include measures to facilitate clearer and better integrated delivery and funding arrangements, are under consideration at present.