Gerard Craughwell (Independent)

The Chairman and other members of the committee have shown great compassion for this case but mental health issues are always down to the professionals working in the field. I do not believe this committee is in a position to dictate to the local mental health assessors how this person should be treated. It is a heartbreaking case. The Chairman made that point himself when speaking to me. We cannot force the State to take this woman into care or force this woman to be in care, under lockdown. It is a horrible situation for the family. The decision of the Chairman is to write to the family and give them the answer from the HSE. If they want to come back, by all means, we will look at it, but I cannot see any way that we can intervene.