Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House at this late hour. The Minister will be aware of the story of the liver transplant that did not happen at the weekend. We had the media to rely on for the story over the weekend. I would be grateful if the Minister would give the House an outline of what happened. It appears now, although I cannot confirm it, that the girl's father has concluded that in future he will have his own private arrangement in place. I am sure it would be difficult for him to have trust in a future situation.

It is fair to say that a liver transplant is one of the most difficult transplants that can be done. Livers are not easily sustained. There are other organs that in transplant can more readily be organised to do that. For this girl in particular this is not just a communication breakdown. We are talking about her life, and the quality of her life is already poor.

I appreciate that an enormous amount of goodwill has gone into this area over the years. People have spoken out about the way they have been helped by all the people involved in the medical fields, the Irish Coast Guard and so on. I pay tribute to the work that has been done. However, for this girl that is not sufficient.

I would be grateful if the Minister of State would give the House an outline of what happened. Specifically, was either the Government jet or another jet made available at any point? Was it turned down and, if so, why did that happen? Why was Northern Ireland not an option in this train of events? The family happened to live close to the Border and given that this girl was on a list for a long time, somebody might have noted the geographical location of her home.