Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy acknowledged, I am not in a position to respond to the specifics of the two questions the Deputy posed. They are not unreasonable questions but I am not able to respond to him at this point in the kind of detail he would wish, particularly in regard to the various personnel involved. I repeat the Department of Health has discussed Mr. Garvey's case with the HSE with a view to senior officials having an early meeting, as I mentioned, with the family to develop a plan for their son's future care. A commitment has been made for such a meeting to take place next Tuesday, 15 April, and it is intended that it would be attended by Mr. Pat Healy, the relevant national director of the HSE, a very senior official in this area. It seems that would be an appropriate opportunity for the family, Mr. Garvey and perhaps the Deputy on their behalf to seek perhaps more specific responses on the questions the Deputy raised. There is no doubt there is a significant resource commitment associated with the proposed move.

I am not aware of the existence of the two different estimates the Deputy outlined. This is also something which could be pursued. As has been acknowledged, the needs are complex and generally in circumstances such as this a person is cared for in an intensive care setting. Therefore, what is proposed here needs to be pursued in detail with the HSE, and next Tuesday's meeting is the right place to do this.

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