Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I studied this matter a lot last year and I have considered it repeatedly since then. The conclusion I came to - and I still take this view - is that until we have universal health care and everyone is entitled to health care, one will always have anomalies and injustices. There will always be somebody who is just above the threshold and does not meet the assessment criteria.

However, we are trying to improve the system, and that is what the ten actions that the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and I announced last year were all about. Among those actions was the establishment of a clinical advisory group which will give the HSE new and revised guidelines on discretion. It is intended that this group will be appointed in the next couple of weeks. I hope that the guidelines the group gives will make it easier for HSE staff and medical officers to assess such cases, although it will never be perfect until universal health care exists.