Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I return to the members, I remind the committee that it is being asked to enable the funds that have already been committed to specialist neurology nurses in community neurorehabilitation services to be actively translated into actual services on the ground; to request the HSE to deliver an immediate action plan to tackle the shortage of inpatient rehabilitation beds; and to begin to tackle the regional inequality and access to consultant neurology services by providing funding in this year's budget to support the development of dedicated outpatient neurology services in Portlaoise, Bantry, Mayo, Letterkenny and Wexford hospitals. Again, I do not believe the calls the alliance is making and is asking of us are radical but it is something where, if we have another meeting, these are calls we can perhaps try to follow up. Given that we have had meetings before on this, it would be important that rather than moving on to another issue, we try to follow through on this and see if something positive can come out of the meetings we have had with our witnesses.

I am conscious that Deputy Lahart has just arrived so I invite him to join the meeting. Senator Black has also indicated that she wants to come in a second time.