Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

What is probably not known is that Susan suffered a double loss in that her mother died the day before Peter. We cannot comprehend the grief she must be feeling today and my deepest sympathy goes to her and her family. Peter was, indeed, a decent and generous man.

I debated a Commencement matter yesterday with the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris. It concerned the National Treatment Purchase Fund. I am not in the business of bashing the Minister and think he is doing the best he can under the circumstances. However, this morning I learned from the National Treatment Purchase Fund that every condition was not necessarily covered. For example, we are told neurosurgery is not available under the National Treatment Purchase Fund. We probably need the Minister to come and outline specifically what is and is not available. There was a gerrymandering of the figures on waiting lists in the south east, where everybody on a waiting list received a letter telling him or her that he or she was off it and that he or she had to reapply. We received an explanation yesterday, but what we now need to know is if the National Treatment Purchase Fund is available to everybody. If so, what conditions are covered by it and how does one get from a waiting list to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to have the treatment one urgently needs? Yesterday I was given the example of someone looking to have an orthopaedic procedure carried out. Two people I know are seeking the same treatment, one of whom is on the public list, while the other is on the private list. The person on the public list will have to wait two years, while the person on the private list only has to wait two days. We need to get to the bottom of this problem. In that regard, I would appreciate the Leader's assistance. This is not in any way a criticism of the Minister who is doing as fine a job as he can. At one stage the Department of Health was called Angola.