Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to discuss this very important issue.

I raise an issue in CHO 3 - the mid-west - of the HSE. Recently I have encountered three cases - I am sure there are many more - in which people have received not very nice letters. They were told that as there was no funding available, they would not be given power chairs. The three cases which are very significant involve two children and one adult. The adult suffers from a rare form of dwarfism that renders him unable to walk very far. As a consequence, he needs a power chair. One of the two children suffers from a rare condition, Moyamoya, while the other suffers from rare conditions and has had to use a chair since they were a very small child. The biggest issue for the three is they have outgrown the chairs they use. All three have received a similar letter citing a lack of funding and indicating that the HSE does not know when funding will become available. I am concerned because the lack of funding is holding them back. Their families are also concerned. The parents of the two children take them out as often as they can, but because they no longer fit in their chairs it has become very difficult for them to leave their homes. In fact, one of the children now falls out of their chair because it is too small. When will funding be released? How can the lives of the two children and one adult concerned and their families return to normal? It is very important that this issue be resolved as quickly as possible.