I welcome the Minister to the House. The debate will follow the normal pattern. The Minister has ten minutes.
Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill 2022: Second Stage
Question proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I am delighted to be here.
I am extremely pleased to introduce this legislation. This Bill contains several different measures, but it is important for two main reasons. First, it will introduce in our country for the first time an opt-out system for organ donation. Under this measure, it will be taken that every one of us has opted to be an organ donor unless we register to opt out of this. Our sincere hope is that this will increase the number of organs available for transplant. As we know, this offers life-changing and life-saving opportunities to all those waiting for transplants. About 600 people in Ireland are today waiting for a transplant. Second, this Bill puts on a clear legal footing a process for post mortems and the treatment of remains, including the treatment of organs, in such a way that the wishes of the family are front and centre. This will ensure organ retention issues that have happened in the past, which should not have happened, can never happen again.
I will now go through the detail of the Bill. Part 1 covers preliminary and general matters. It provides a list of definitions to aid the interpretation of the legislation and includes general provisions. It allows the Minister for Health to introduce guidelines and regulations. This Part also introduces provisions for a designated family member to be consulted prior to donation of organs and tissues from deceased persons and for the conduct of non-coronial post mortems.
Part 2 of the Bill deals with donation and transplantation matters. It addresses the transplantation of both organs and tissues and outlines the requisite consent provisions with regard to deceased and living donors.
A priority for me as Minister in bringing forward this legislation is to support organ donation and transplantation and to make organ donation the norm in situations where that operation is appropriate. This Bill will help to achieve this through the introduction of a soft opt-out system of consent and by creating pathways for living organ donation for altruistic donation. Under this new soft opt-out system, all adults in Ireland will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate on the opt-out register or are in one of the identified excluded groups. Those who object to organ donation for whatever reason will be able to record their objection on a new register that will be established under legislation by the HSE. In such cases their wishes will be respected and their family will not be approached on the issue of organ donation. It will be possible for individuals to remove their name from the register at any time. If someone has not registered their objection on the register, their family members will continue to be consulted before donation takes place. The wishes of the deceased should be central to the decision to donate but, if the family objects to the donation, it will not proceed. Our aim is to help to increase the donor pool in Ireland while always fully respecting the wishes of individuals and their families. The Bill also provides a framework for living donation and introduces provisions for non-directed altruistic donation.
Part 3 of the Bill covers pathology practice or post mortems. The background to much of this Part of the Bill is the Madden report, which resulted from the discovery in the late 1990s that it was hospital practice for many years to perform post mortem examinations and to retain organs of deceased children without family knowledge or permission. I deeply regret that similar issues and concerns have arisen in our hospitals more recently. In line with the Madden report, the Bill introduces consent provisions for non-coronial post mortems and sets out a clear framework for how consent should be obtained. I wish to draw the attention of the House to a significant departure from what was approved in the General Scheme of the Bill. The legislation now includes provisions that will bring certain aspects of coronial post mortem practice under the framework of this Bill. These provisions reflect the reality that approximately 98% of post mortems conducted in Ireland are performed under the direction of the coroner and will apply to coronial post mortems in both hospital and non-hospital settings. The Bill amends the Coroners Acts 1962 to 2022 to address issues regarding material removed and retained from a deceased person in a post mortem examination directed by a coroner in non-hospital settings such as the Dublin city mortuary. These important measures are what families impacted by recent controversies have called for. It is absolutely vital that we respond positively and show that we are listening, learning and, most importantly, acting on their wishes.
Part 4 of the Bill deals with anatomical examination and updates the licensing system for schools of anatomy.
Part 5 of the Bill deals with the public display of bodies after death. The Bill will introduce a licensing system for the public display of bodies after death.
On Committee Stage in the Dáil I brought forward several amendments, some of which were part of the Government decision when the Bill was approved in November 2022. These amendments were to ensure the proper functioning of the legislation in line with the policy objectives of the Bill and were mostly technical and consequential in nature.
Several amendments were introduced on Report Stage in the Dáil, all of which seek to ensure the legislation aligns with policy intent. Two amendments were made to Part 2 of the Bill, on organ donation and transplantation. I have provided for a review that will examine the impact of the opt-out register on organ donation and transplantation in Ireland, to be carried out three years after commencement of Part 2 of the Bill. A further amendment was made to this Part so that there may be two patient advocates on the independent panel for organ donation, at least one of whom may be a patient donor advocate. These amendments arose from my engagement with the Irish Kidney Association.
I acknowledge the Irish Kidney Association's work and indeed the work of other civil society and patient advocacy groups in Ireland. We have engaged with them at length. The Leas-Chathaoirleach and I met with the Irish Kidney Association recently. Several of the amendments that were brought forward on Report Stage were consequent to that meeting and to various requests the association had made. I acknowledge that there has been constructive and positive engagement across the board between myself, Members of both Houses, my Department, the Irish Kidney Association and the other fantastic groups that work in this space. I thank them for all of their constructive input. We have updated the Bill and I have introduced amendments through the Stages to try to reflect what patients, families and their advocacy groups have been looking for.
Several amendments were introduced to Part 3 of the Bill. The Coroners Act has been amended to provide for the regulation of the retention, storage, use, disposal and return of organs and tissue from deceased persons following all post mortems in hospital settings, including those directed by a coroner. Amendments have been made to expand HIQA's role to include the monitoring of regulations for post mortem examinations that take place in locations other than hospitals, such as the Dublin city mortuary. An amendment was made to the Health Act 2004 to expand protected disclosure provisions to HIQA to include disclosures made to the authority relating to its role in monitoring compliance with regulations under the human tissue Bill and the Coroners Act.
I would like to flag an amendment which I will bring forward on Committee Stage in this House. It will attempt to connect this legislation with changes relating to the legal framework of capacity and consent brought in by the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity (Amendment) Act 2022.
As Senators will appreciate, this legislation means a great deal to many people. I look forward to working with Members of the House constructively on its progress.
I thank the Minister and I also thank him for his acknowledgement of the work of the Irish Kidney Association. We are delighted to be joined here by its chief executive officer, Ms Carol Moore, and its national advocacy and projects manager, Mr. Colin White. I thank the Minister for acknowledging the work of all the other organisations who have been working to get this Bill passed for the past number of years.
I thank the Minister for coming to the Seanad to discuss this ground-breaking legislation. I commend him on introducing it because it is long overdue. It brings us into line with best practice in other leading European countries. The Minister has quite ably outlined the two aspects to this, the organ retention and post mortem side of it, and the organ donation side of it. As he mentioned, more than 600 people are on the organ transplant list. Our colleague and friend Councillor Gail Dunne is one of those 600. He has spoken very passionately about the need for this Bill. It is throwing a lifeline to people who are in a very difficult health situation. I have another friend who makes up part of that 600, so this day is very important. I hope we will have good co-operation from everybody in this House in relation to passing it
Hear, hear.
People are waiting on this. They have waited for this Bill for years. The Irish Kidney Association and many others have been working towards this day and the completion of this Bill. I commend the Minister on working so hard to bring this about.
Organ donation has always been a difficult topic to discuss with next of kin because such discussions invariably happen in the context of a very tragic and often very sudden situation. They might take place following a car accident or another type of accident, maybe in the workplace. The next of kin are often understandably very overwhelmed at that point and are unable to make a decision. It can be too emotional. This legislation allows each one of us to make that decision and to take that pressure off our next of kin should something unexpected happen, so it is really welcome.
The opt-in system being proposed by the Minister is a very good system. I hope it will be followed by a very robust public information campaign so we know where to go and how to do it because there will be some people who do not want to donate their organs. However, I think most people would want to give the very precious gift of life to others if they are in a position to donate their organs when their own life comes to an end.
The other aspect of this, the post mortem and organ retention aspect, is really important.
Mention was made of the Madden report, and we all remember how distressing it was for the families who were caught up in that. Their babies’ organs were retained by hospitals without their consent. While that was done in good faith and for legitimate purposes, it was done without consent. This legislation again puts a very good, robust framework in place.
This is all very welcome. I look forward to the rest of the debate and to this Bill moving as quickly as possible through the Seanad. I hope all Members will engage positively with this Bill. I commend the Minister on another worthwhile, transformative and ground-breaking Bill in the area of health in Ireland.
The Minister is very welcome to the House. I will start my comments by addressing the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I remember how a good few years ago the Leas-Chathaoirleach got the required number of signatures to bring this House back in August-----
May I just remind you that it did upset everyone’s summer holidays.
You did upset everyone’s summer holidays, but for a good reason.
It was before my time.
I did not get a lot of thanks for that one, to be honest. Anyway, we nearly got there.
But it was for a very good reason. I attended that day-----
Sorry about that, Martin.
-----and it was a very interesting debate. I learned a lot from that debate. The only regret I have, and this is not the Minister’s fault, but it is more our fault, is that it has taken until now to deliver what was hoped on that balmy August day. It is only appropriate that we acknowledge the contribution of our Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Daly, because this Bill would probably not be here today but for the advocacy that has been done over the years by Senator Daly and others.
I agree with Senator Clifford-Lee that this is ground-breaking. Many people would be happy to give their organs but probably do not have a card or have not signed up, registered or engaged with whatever the current process is. I have an organ donor card, but if you asked me where it is at home, I would not be able to find it. I sincerely hope that if anything were to ever happen to me and if, God help us, my organs were to be of use to anyone, that would happen. I therefore think the opt-out system is the way to go. It is people’s choice if they do not want their organs to be donated for whatever reason. I do not think too many people would want my eyes, for example, but there might be other parts of my body that might be of use. However, if there are people who, for whatever reason, decide they do not want to do this, that is their right and it has to be respected. That is where the register that the Minister is proposing comes from.
This is the right and proper thing to do and, as I said, it should have been done a long time ago. Had it been done years ago, there would probably be more people alive today and it would have saved more lives. That said, it is never too late to do the right thing. I fully, 100% endorse the legislation. I commend the Minister, because there will not be massive headlines when this Bill is passed, but it is still transformative. That has to be acknowledged, because there are a lot of challenges in the Department of Health. Bernard Gloster was before the health committee for three hours today. We understand the challenges that exist, but the good news sometimes falls between the cracks. When the right thing is being done, we need to shout it from the rooftops as much as when people advocate when things go wrong. Well done and congratulations.
Thank you, Senator Conway, for your kind words. I think most people will have forgiven me for that recall but, as you said, it was in relation to this. At the time, the first Bill on organ donation in the history of the State was by way of a European Union Bill we adopted, adapted and amended, but not in the same way as others. This is the second organ donation Bill in the history of the State. It has been on the books and on legislative programmes for decades and the Minister is bringing it through, so we are delighted to see it moving forward. I call Senator Moynihan.
We welcome this Bill and we will be supporting it. This legislation has been delayed several times and I understand it is a highly technical Bill that required time, but it is great the Minister has now brought it here, and the sooner we pass it, the sooner lives can be saved.
This Bill enacts the recommendations that were made in the Madden report in 2005 concerning post mortem practices and procedures. This is very a positive step in ensuring our bodily autonomy and integrity in death and in providing families with some peace of mind with the tragic passing of loved ones. We were devastated by reports in 2021 that found that the organs of 18 deceased babies were sent abroad for incineration without the knowledge or consent of their bereaved parents. This was incredibly traumatic for the families involved. The families of those children have welcomed the passage of this Bill through the Dáil, and we must pass it in the Seanad.
This legislation will ensure such horrific incidents will never happen again. The Bill is also of incredible importance in that it allows us to increase the potential opportunities for lifesaving and life-altering organ donations and transplants. This can provide the families and loved ones of the deceased with a sense of peace on their passing. Crucially, it does this without impinging on our ability to choose what happens to our bodies when we pass and our ability to consent to it, which should be of the utmost importance in matters as sensitive as these.
An opt-out system of organ donation will save lives as long as it is properly resourced. At the same time, the Bill also respects the wishes of those who are not comfortable with donating their organs for various reasons, for example, cultural, religious or the wishes of the deceased’s family members. The Labour Party is glad the Bill provides for a centralised opt-out register. The centralisation of this register is important as it is not realistic to expect every person’s next of kin to know their consent status. Under the current system, we rely on the deceased having an organ donation card or having notified their next of kin that they have an organ donor card. As the Bill outlines, the final say in donation lies with the next of kin, regardless of whether an individual has opted out or not. However, the national register will at least remove some of the burden on those closest to the deceased having to make that decision should they find themselves in this tragic circumstance.
As I said, implementation is important. It is so important, therefore, this register is well resourced, well maintained and that it is a live document. Turnaround times for organ donation and transplants can be extremely short. This means it is critical that information regarding potential donors and their current status can be accessed in the most time-efficient manner possible. We need the Government and the HSE to step up and properly resource this register and ensure it is audited, kept alive and kept up to date regularly. This issue is extremely sensitive, which means information, security and confidentiality must be held to the highest of standards.
Ireland’s organ donation and transplants numbers decreased during Covid-19, but it is great to see these numbers have been increasing again. Last year, 250 organ transplants took place from 119 donors. Those are 250 people who otherwise would probably not be here with us today or who would at least be living in continued poor and diminishing health. They are 250 people who have been given a second chance at life thanks to the parting gift of deceased donors and the altruism and selflessness of living donors. However, as my party colleague Deputy Duncan Smith noted, we can do better. Ireland has a comparatively low rate of donation among our European neighbours. Our rate of donation is 18 per 1 million people, whereas in Britain, for example, the equivalent figure is 25. While implementing an opt-out model of donation is a welcome and progressive move, I hope it will help to improve our rate of donation.
This legislation is not a catch-all solution to increasing the number of available donors in Ireland but it is very welcome. Only through proper resourcing and funding will we be able to properly increase our rate of organ donation.
I appreciate the opportunity to address this Bill today, which Sinn Féin will be supporting. It is crucial to recognise the origin of this Bill, which is a reactive response to revelations in England, specifically Bristol and two other hospitals, where more than 30,000 bodies or organs were retained.
The Dunne inquiry, which was initiated in 2000 but was marred by delays and costs, did not provide the anticipated redress or accountability for parents whose babies' organs were sold without their knowledge. Subsequent reports, such as the Willis report in 2009 and "RTÉ Investigates" in 2021, exposed ongoing issues in post mortem practices and organ disposal, emphasising the persistent need for legislative intervention.
A human tissue Bill was enacted in Britain in 2004. It has taken 20 years for the Government of this State to do the same. That has not been without its costs and consequences. Sadly, this legislation is reactive and comes too late for many families. The Bill addresses some of the recommendations made by Professor Deirdre Madden in the wake of the Dunne inquiry. However, it is essential to ascertain whether all 50 recommendations were ever implemented, a question that remains unanswered.
Despite these efforts, the journey to this legislation highlights a systemic failure to proactively address issues in medical practices and paternalism, with external factors forcing corrective action.
While the Minister expressed confidence that the Bill would enhance the donor pool, citing Spain as an example, it is crucial to note a differing perspective. Reviewing the committee discussion of the general scheme gave me some pause for thought regarding presumed consent, which this Bill is adopting.
Mr. Mark Murphy of the Irish Kidney Association cited a Spanish study indicating that evidence does not support the notion that shifting towards presumed consent will alleviate organ shortages. The study suggested that the prevailing belief that low deceased donation rates result solely from a negative public attitude is not substantiated. The authors stressed we should never blame the public. Rather, the study emphasises the need for a comprehensive infrastructure, a sentiment echoed during committee hearings. While there were differences regarding an opt-in versus an opt-out system from different stakeholders, there was unanimous agreement on the critical need for infrastructure, dedicated staff teams, and nursing support – elements notably absent from the Bill.
In my area of Limerick, our hospital has more than its share of challenges as the Minister will be aware. Everything good that happens in there hinges on the hard work of the staff. It is perplexing that the Bill lacks any mention of or costing or strategy for addressing the staffing requirements vital for the effective implementation of its provisions.
Part 2 of the Bill addresses transplantation and introduces the concept of deemed consent, purportedly common in most European countries. Part 3 focuses on pathology practice and post mortems, emphasising the necessity of consent from either the family or the individual before death. Part 4 establishes a legislative structure for anatomical examination, a long-overdue update from the 1832 Act. Part 5 covers the public display of bodies and related requirements.
Notably, a section deals with providing tissues or cells to pharmaceutical companies, where the decision-making process involves the hospital manager and subsequent consultation with the family. Given the patchy history of the pharmaceutical industry on consent, like when the British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline conducted vaccine trials on victims of the mother and baby homes without their prior informed consent, it is important that we get this right. The complexity of these aspects underscores the need for careful scrutiny and analysis, which pre-legislative scrutiny could have facilitated but unfortunately that was not carried out.
While welcoming the Bill's intentions, it is vital to emphasise the importance of infrastructure, staff and comprehensive planning for effective implementation. The historical context leading to this legislation underscores the need for ongoing vigilance and a commitment to addressing systemic failures in the healthcare system.
Before I bring in Senator Lombard, I welcome Lieutenant Colonel Paul Connolly and the European ordnance group who are here today. They do very important work in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
I welcome our visitors to the Gallery.
I welcome this important legislation. It is something I have been watching very closely in particular over the past three or four years. There are many aspects to it. The organ-donor aspect has been debated and spoken about quite clearly in the Chamber. I wish to focus my attention on the coroners element of it. Unfortunately, as the Minister is very aware, we had an incident in my part of Ireland where 18 families found out that the organs of their babies were kept and disposed of inappropriately. I mention in particular Laura and Fintan Kelleher from Dunmanway for their campaign for their baby Hope whose organs were unfortunately disposed of in a very inappropriate way. Theirs is one of the 18 families. I have worked with that family over the past two years in particular. They now live in Australia.
It is great that we have moved forward with this legislation because this is what that campaign was about. That campaign was about trying to make sure that appropriate legislation was brought forward so that cases like this would never happen again. This is why this legislation to amend the Coroners Act 1962 is so important. That family has campaigned vigorously for major changes in the law to make sure that what happened to their baby Hope would not happen to any other family. I hope this legislation will bring comfort to them.
It is now about trying to ensure it can get through the processes in the Oireachtas and get this complicated and complex legislation passed. I ask the Minister to provide a timeline for when he believes this legislation will go through all the rigours of the Oireachtas and get signed by the President. Clarity on that would help bring closure for the families. They are looking for closure to move forward. They are looking to get an understanding of when this safeguarding legislation will be enacted so that something that happened to them and 17 other families in Cork will never again happen.
The Minister has proven himself yet again to be a progressive and reforming Minister for Health. I thank him for that. He is absolutely committed to the prioritisation of drafting this Bill in order to provide a national legislative framework for organ donation and transplant services in Ireland for the very first time. In addition to addressing organ donation and transplants, the Bill will bring the State in line with international best practice which is obviously also very important in the governance of activities relating to human tissue. We should always remember and acknowledge that organ donation is a very precious gift. It is quite possibly the most precious of gifts. It saves lives and what could be more important? I know our aim here is to help to increase the donor pool in Ireland while always fully respecting the wishes of individuals and their families. I know that the approach the Minister has chosen within the Bill is strongly endorsed by many of our leading NGOs and charities which have campaigned for such a system for many years.
Fianna Fáil has always believed in the delivery of fundamental public health services to the highest standard through investment, innovation and reform. This Bill absolutely fits within this framework. It is very important landmark legislation and includes provisions relating to not just organ donation and transplantation but also post-mortem practices and procedures, and the examination and public display of bodies after death.
This human tissue Bill aims to increase organ donation and transplantation in Ireland through the introduction of new measures, including an opt-out system for consent and pathways for living donation by adults including non-directed altruistic donation. It is important to stress that element of choice is there through opting out. Currently, as we know, the decision of organ donation in respect of a deceased person rests entirely with the next-of-kin, including where the deceased person held an organ donor card or had indicated their wish to be an organ donor on their driving licence. Under this new opt-out system, all adults in Ireland will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate in an opt-out register, which obviously needs to be resourced and kept up to date, or indeed if they are one of the identified excluded groups.
This is often referred to as "deemed consent" and will apply to the donation of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas. A separate consent process will be undertaken for the donation of other organs and for tissue and cells from deceased donors. Crucially, the Bill will embed in law the concept that consent where appropriate is the defining principle around these sensitive areas and will establish a regulatory framework for the conduct of these activities. I thank the Minister for his sterling work on the Bill. I look forward to its passage into legislation. There is no doubt that this will help save many lives in the years to come.
The next speaker is Senator Mark Daly.
I thank the Minister for being here. I thank him for the consultation and listening to the previous organisations and groups, including the Irish Kidney Association.
Most especially, he listened to those who are on the organ donor list and are awaiting a life-saving, life-transforming transplant. Many of them are, unfortunately, taken off the list because they become too sick to receive an organ donation. It is great that donations are increasing but, obviously, we want to be the best not just in Europe but in the world. A lot of that relates to systems, and the Bill is about building systems, although it cannot provide for every aspect of the systems we are talking about.
When does the Minister expect the legislation to be commenced? I know elements of it will be commenced over time. Does he hope to get it to the President before Christmas,? If not, at what stage next year will that happen?
On the budget for organ donation awareness and education planned to accompany the commencement of the legislation, does the Minister have any thoughts about how great a budget will come with that awareness, which is so vital, in order that the Bill and the intent behind it will not be misrepresented, as can often happen?
Other ideas were discussed regarding the provision of an annual audit for potential donors in legislation, funding for the development of a national audit unit within the National Office of Clinical Audit and the pilot programme that reported in September and is funded until December. Does the Minister have any thoughts on the outcome of that pilot project and its success? As is often the case, if it is not being measured, it is not being done. Will that pilot project become an annual project?
I am thinking today of Mark Murphy, Carol's predecessor as chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association, who was one of the leading people behind that recall, which we discussed at the time, when the Minister was in a different role. I think we are at this stage beyond the statute of limitations, but we did try to recall the Dáil as well for those Members in the Lower House at that time, nearly a decade ago. I thank the Minister for signing that. Getting the signatures of one third of the Members of the Dáil is a lot harder than getting those of one third of Members of the Seanad, and we fell short on that occasion. We lost by the casting vote of the then Chair of the Seanad, but the awareness that whole campaign raised brought changes within the system, with more resources allocated to the organ transplant office as a result. It will come as no surprise to the Minister that that allocation of more resources came the night before the debate in order that the Minister could come to the Seanad Chamber and announce that more resources were being given. Even if that had been the only thing the recall did, that would have been a success, but it did so much more, including heightening awareness among the public and providing more resources within hospitals for organ transplant co-ordinators and other staff, which is the important part.
One of the big issues with organ donations, especially from the Department of Health’s point of view, is that in the long run it saves money because keeping people on dialysis, as the Minister is well aware, costs hundreds of thousands over a decade and tens of millions over time. Having a functioning and well-structured organ transplant system saves the taxpayer money. Systems are very slow to change but this legislation is the first of its kind produced by the State. The previous one was introduced by the European Union but this one is being introduced by the State. In our 101-year history, give or take, depending on which way you count the history of the State, Deputy Donnelly is the first Minister for Health to bring in legislation on organ donation. For that, I thank him.
I thank colleagues for the support. The Bill was supported in the Dáil and is now being supported in the Upper House. That sends out a very important message to the country that this is something new and important we are doing, and both Houses are united in us moving and shifting our thinking to us all being organ donors. I thank colleagues throughout the Houses for their support.
I again acknowledge the work of the advocacy groups. I referred earlier to the Irish Kidney Association and am delighted to see its representatives with us today. The Irish Donor Network also includes other fantastic organisations, such as the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association, Alpha-1 Foundation Ireland, hospital transport co-ordinators and others, and it is great to see everyone working together.
Finally, I thank our healthcare workers. As Senator Gavan noted, the number of transplants has gone up significantly last year and this year, and it is our intention it will continue to rise. We have invested in growing the services and need to continue to make sure the healthcare apparatus is there as well. The legislation is one essential part but more is required.
Several colleagues asked about timing. The latest advice I have is that, assuming the Bill passes Second Stage today, Committee Stage in the Seanad will be taken on 6 December. My understanding is that the remaining Stages will be taken on 12 December, if it has not already happened straight after Committee Stage. Obviously, that is a matter for the Seanad.
Prior to the commencement of Part 2, there will be the establishment and operationalisation of the opt-out register. That infrastructure has to be put in place. It relates to Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, ODTI, and the HSE. We have to put up an online portal in order that people can opt out. We will publish the regulation guidelines and a major public communications campaign will be part of that. All going according to plan, we will have the Bill with the President before Christmas and my hope, obviously, is that he will sign it. I will commence the various Parts of the Bill as soon as they can be operationalised, and for the organ donation part, I have gone through some of the infrastructure we will have to put in place.
Other Senators asked about the position of the Bill in the context of organs being sent overseas. This happened in Cork but should never have happened, and it was deeply upsetting for those families. Specific to that, under the Bill, consent will be needed from families for arrangements relating to burial, cremation or the return of any organs that were retained, and the management of any organs must be in line with the wishes of the family. What happened in the past, therefore, can never happen again. That is very clear under law. It is one of the really important aspects of the Bill, and I want to provide that assurance to colleagues.
I again thank Senators. I hope we will be back here very shortly for Committee Stage.
Question put and agreed to.
When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?
Next Tuesday.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
Committee Stage ordered for Tuesday, 28 November 2023.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 2.59 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 4.30 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 2.59 p.m. and resumed at 4.30 p.m.