Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With respect, I do not believe it is open to the Minister to give a direction to NIAC in that regard although I understand what the Senator is driving at. NIAC, as I pointed out, is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. It is a committee that advises the Minister. I do not believe there would or could be any inordinate delay on the part of the committee with regard to its analysis of this problem or, as the Senator pointed out, this pressing issue. If I can establish further information on how matters stand, I will certainly do so for the Senator. As far as I am aware, I do not believe it is open to the Minister to make a direction because it seems to me, without my having checked the detail on the specific relationship between NIAC, the HSE and the Minister, that the advisory function of the committee is such that it must be left to do the work it conducts for the Minister and HSE. I take the Senator's point on the importance of this matter, however, and I will certainly obtain for him any further information I can glean on expediting this matter.