Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A question seeking clarification on whether funding is available has been asked. That is very important. It has also been asked when the new scheme will be up and running. After 23 or 24 years, that is the least people deserve. They deserve a timeline. As of 13 February, 923 people were on an appeals waiting list. I do not know where the Minister's figures are in that, but maybe he can give us details on the appeals afterwards, and let us know how many people came back after six months and were allowed to apply again. Were they successful?

We had the debacle involving the National Rehabilitation Hospital. It refused to do that. Was an analysis undertaken as to why it was in that position? Was an analysis undertaken as to why it took four recruitment campaigns to get medical professionals to sit on an appeals board, 24 years after the Ombudsman said it was not fit for purpose? We need answers.

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