10-year cross-party health plan promised by year end

Health Minister Simon Harris has committed to publishing a 10-year cross-party health service plan by the end of the year in a bid to address chronic problems in the system.

He made the commitment during a detailed Dáil debate on the issue yesterday as it emerged the Government may be forced to take money from other departments this year to pay for runaway budget overruns in the system.

As part of a radical new departure for the health service, Mr Harris put down a Dáil motion to set up a new cross-party committee tasked with agreeing the next decade of policies for the health system.