Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses. This has been a very interesting debate and it is fantastic to be here to participate in it. Mr. Sinnott spoke about his High Court case and I congratulate him on that. The need for us to reassess public consultations to make them more accessible and inclusive is certainly very practical feedback that would make a difference for including people, particularly blind people, in those public consultations.

My question is for Mr. Kavanagh. I was struck by what he said about HSE waiting lists. We were all very encouraged that a new budget was allocated for tackling waiting lists in the last budget. However, people are waiting six months for wheelchairs, and the Brexit impact on the price of prosthetic limbs is an increase of 30%. Combined with the fact that many people may ultimately lose their medical cards if they get to a point where they are starting full-time work, this definitely disadvantages people, from a healthcare perspective, who are already marginalised in our society. I am interested to hear Mr. Kavanagh's views on any practical measures the committee can advocate which he thinks would lessen that burden on people in this situation.