Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Gloster and his team and wish him the very best in his role. I engaged with him at the Oireachtas committee on children in his previous role and I think we will get unison among those in all parties and none that we wish him all the best in this role, given it is a very important issue.

My first question is in regard to the neurorehabilitation teams. It is an area in which I have a personal interest. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 16 years ago and I know the battles that I had and my lived experience of trying to get the care I needed pre-diagnosis and then post-diagnosis, probably going on 20 years or so. I had a relapse last year. I want to put on the record that once you are in the system, you get a good service of care from the HSE, and the treatment I received in Tallaght hospital neurology department and from the MS nurses there was second to none. I want to put that on the record because I can be critical when people do not get the care they need.

The question has been asked but I want to try to ask it in a different way in regard to the delay in establishing a community neurorehabilitation team in CHO 7. As far as I know, funding was available in 2020. Responses to parliamentary questions that I got on the issue stated that negotiations are ongoing to agree a governance model in order to proceed with recruitment. What I want to know is what the issues are in regard to the governance of this neurorehabilitation team and whether there is a specific timeframe, which there can be, in regard to the adoption of a governance model for this team. Can recruitment proceed while this governance model is being prepared?