Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I am not applying my reply to the two cases the Deputy mentioned, for example. There is a fundamental question we have all faced if we are honest, whereby people come to us and say that as a parent they believe their child should get a particular intervention or surgery. If a doctor or clinician does not believe that is appropriate at that time or believes that the outcomes may not be optimal at that time for the child concerned, what is Deputy McDonald suggesting? This is a reality on an ongoing basis. It seems to me that we have to examine that relationship further, as well as the level of advocacy for the parents in these situations.

That is why I think there is a weakness. Politicians cannot and should not arbitrarily intervene and say something should happen irrespective of what a clinical expert has said. We need some degree of consensus on that point. How it transpires and the advocacy for parents in that situation is something we should examine, in terms of stronger advocacy for parents in respect of clinical decision-making.

In terms of what we are doing regarding the treatment abroad scheme, we have provided resources and there is an instruction to CHI and clinicians to refer, and I believe they should be referring patients on a continuous basis.

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