Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I have been trying to pursue the case for 18 months and obtain information. The answer I kept getting was that the services did not know where the person in question was. There is no doubt that the person was on a significant downward spiral and that her life was at major risk. However, she was attending various services, sometimes with extremely chaotic behaviour, for which I allow. She was in the care of the HSE from when she was aged under 18 years. Her two children were also in the care of the HSE. Given that she was registered as homeless, there were default addresses for her. She was attending a methadone clinic, a needle exchange clinic and her family doctor in Dublin 8. She was a regular patient at St. James's Hospital and James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. She was in contact with her solicitor and although her solicitor was in touch with the HSE, it did not contact the solicitor to try to find out exactly where she was. Although nothing will bring her back, there must be reassurance that all measures were taken that could have averted her death. While there will always be questions of "what if" and "if only", her family needs to know that they have been covered and it needs the information.

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