Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. The issue of public representatives was raised, but, of course, citizens should also be facilitated. However, I need to remind colleagues about the HSE governance legislation.

It is not open to a Minister to give a direction to the HSE in respect of an individual's eligibility for services. In fact, a Minister is prohibited from doing that under the HSE legislation. He or she cannot say if a particular person should be eligible or not.