Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

That is, citizens are entitled to an equality of treatment. Therefore, the onus is on the Minister to justify the inflexibility that is being imposed by way of a recommendation to the HSE. Again the advice of a former Attorney General on this point was that no Minister — I have been a Minister — can hand to an agency responsibilities that are constitutionally the responsibilities of that Minister.

See this speech in context