Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of the problems we have had with a whole lot of services, no matter what they are, is the demand for staff and the availability of staff. The person is on a waiting list to be assessed but the question is at what stage do we decide the waiting time is too long and we therefore need to get an independent agency to do the assessment.

Reference was made to the nursing homes. The issue with the nursing homes and entitlement to care was decided by the courts a number of years ago. We we are not that far away from where we might have a decision made by the courts about the right to have an assessment done within a reasonable period. The idea behind the treatment abroad fund set up within Europe was that if a person cannot get access to medical care or treatment, he or she has an entitlement to travel to another EU to get it. With this it is likewise only a matter of time. The Department needs to get a policy decision on this. At what stage does it decide what is a reasonable time for someone on a waiting list for an assessment to wait? We have already made a decision on that in relation to medical treatment regarding at what stage a person is allowed get treatment abroad.