Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Bell for attending. I sympathise with him on the loss of his son, Kevin. Unfortunately, every Member of the Oireachtas has received telephone calls from loved ones, family members and constituents regarding the death of somebody abroad. The first call is to us and then we call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I acknowledge the tremendous work the Department does for families that have lost a loved one abroad. There is a huge Irish community in the UK, Australia or the United States and the community rallies around and provides tremendous support to the family of the person who has died. Unfortunately, however, that support is not there in far eastern countries and there is a great deal of red tape. Sometimes, as Mr. Bell rightly said, we do not have consular services in the country and one might have to contact another country. It is great to know that one can contact somebody with Mr. Bell's experience.

I understand the issue with fundraising. In such a tragic situation it is amazing how the people in the United States, Britain and Australia rally around. The people at home also rally around. The first issue, and it is something that is in the Irish blood, is how to pay to get the person home. This is particularly the case with the GAA. The tremendous amount of work done by the GAA must be acknowledged. Mr. Bell mentioned the Armagh team Kevin played for and how it rallied around and helped. I dealt with a case recently in which a young guy on his way home from Australia decided, as is the usual case, to travel through the Far East and visit a number of countries.

Unfortunately, he was in a serious accident - I believe it was in Vietnam - and lost a leg. The family did not have the means to bring him home but the community rallied around and he got home. He is now doing well. Has Mr. Bell considered extending the scope to help families such as these? As Senator Lawless stated, and as I have said previously, we cannot emphasise enough how important it is to have insurance but many young people do not believe it is crucial. It is also important that we know about the issue regarding drink. Has Mr. Bell considered broadening the scope to include people seriously injured in accidents? The necessary funds may not be there within the community or family to bring an individual home. Has this been considered?