Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I strongly support the sentiments expressed by the Deputy. This applies not only to north Cork but all over the country and has been raised numerous times in the health committee over recent years. The Minister himself has identified the word "discretion". The request has to be that the criteria need to be broadened to take into account the fact, as described by Deputy O'Connor and as we have described many times at the health committee, that there are people who are really under pressure, who find themselves in panic - very often older people or younger people - and who see themselves being ignored by the system. For instance, in one particular case a procedural error took place and the person is now on expensive medication and so on. That will go to court, but that does not help the person in the meantime, and that is the problem. I ask, like my colleague did, that the discretion be looked at to see if the criteria can be broadened to allow in the people whom we are talking about. The Minister knows about them better than anybody else.

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