Mr. Mike Allen:

We know there are people trying to change the system. Our role in that is to provide evidence and to bring the voices of the people experiencing the problems, which members, as Deputies and Senators, hear anyway, in a particular and structured way to the committee and to bring solutions.

However, we are entirely in members' hands in respect of amending the legislation and implementing statutory instruments and regulations.

As regards the Senator's question about how our services work, it depends on the nature of the service. If someone contacts the services about which Mr. Ó Siochrú wrote, the case manager will stay with him or her right the way through until the problem is sorted out. We have a six-month follow-up after we disengage with the family or individual and think the problem has been solved. Ms Sheridan's team telephones them six months later and asks whether it has worked out. Ours is the only organisation in Europe that uses a six-month follow-up to see where people are after we think they are okay.