MINISTER FOR Finance Brian Lenihan said last that “good progress” was being made in discussions with the Green Party over a new Programme for Government.
Speaking at an event in Dublin, he said there were outstanding issues which were being examined.
He said it was very appropriate that there should be a transformed programme for government at this stage, considering the changed economic situation.
FF negotiators were working in good faith, and no doubt the Green Party delegation was also, he said. He added that the Green Party’s Oireachtas members were well aware of the difficulties the country is facing.
Separately, Minister for Health Mary Harney said yesterday the Green Party had been very enthusiastic about the establishment of an expert group reviewing health service resource allocation and said the Government was awaiting the group’s findings.
A commitment to a single-tier universal health system was last week revealed as a key demand in the Green Party’s review of the programme for government.
Ms Harney was asked about the Greens’ proposal when she made an announcement about the new Fair Deal scheme for funding nursing home care yesterday.
“Well I want to see a one-tiered health system. Everybody has access to the hospital system. I agree we don’t all have access to primary care free of charge,” Ms Harney said.
Ms Harney said an expert group, which is chaired by ESRI economist Prof Frances Ruane, had been established to review the way in which the health service is funded and how funds are distributed.
“As you know we set up the resource allocation group chaired by Prof Frances Ruane. In fairness the Greens were very enthusiastic about that group and they were involved in decisions around the membership of that group. And I think the Government in its entirety would want to await the deliberations of that group,” she said.
Ms Harney said the group was due to report next April and she had encouraged stakeholders and organisations in the health area to make submissions.