In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Dail:
The Select Committee on Health has completed its consideration of the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill 2022 and has made amendments thereto.
I thank the Minister for Health and his officials for attending today's meeting.
I thank the Minister for bringing forward the Bill. We had lots of exchanges in the Dáil over a number of years on the issue of organ retention and the need to respond to all of the scandals. It is very important that this Bill is now progressing.
The offer was made, and accepted by the Minister, for a technical briefing. I thank the Minister for that. We have had very constructive processes similar to this with other Bills, which have worked out. I understand the Minister cannot tell us that he can accept all the amendments proposed by the Irish Kidney Association. We have discussed some of the issues in relation to the merits of them and the balance that may need to be struck, which I accept.
The Minister will bring forward amendments on Report Stage. I took a note of that and I do not have any opposition to them because they make sense, and crucially those six areas outlined to us. I assume the Minister received the same submission the committee members received from the Irish Kidney Association, so we are all on the same page about what the issues are. In advance of that briefing, it would be helpful if a note was circulated to us on the substance of the amendments the Minister will bring forward and the view of the Department on the proposed amendments from the Irish Kidney Association. It would allow us to understand why some of these issues are not included, and perhaps why the Department may still not want to accept them. Ultimately, that is a matter for the meeting we will have. The Minister said that everything will be on the table. The point I would make, however, is that the more information we have and the better understanding we have of the Department's logic and approach to this, the better. That meeting with the Irish Kidney Association will be important. I imagine that we, as members of the committee, will meet with it in our own right. I thank the Minister again for the collegial approach, which is very useful.
Two other members have indicated. Perhaps we will finish then. I am watching the clock so I ask them to try to be as brief as they can.
I thank the Minister and the officials, and all the people who backed the legislation. I have been on the health committee since 2011.
This issue has come up on a number of occasions over the ten or 11 years. It is a very welcome development. It is about having a proper structure in place but it is also important is that we have proper back-up support for people on the front line dealing with the issues that arise and that there is adequate communication with all the parties involved, particularly the families. I thank the Minister for all the work done on this as well as the officials and the drafters. It is very technical legislation and quite complicated. I thank everyone involved.
I concur with my colleagues. I congratulate the Minister on bringing forward the legislation and for staying with it. It is intricate and required a great deal of time and attention from the Minister and his officials. I also thank all those who contributed, including the Irish Kidney Association which went to a lot of trouble and without whom it would be more difficult to get the legislation passed and to ensure its success.
Can I ask that those of us on the Government benches be included in the technical briefing?
Of course, yes.
It has happened where people from the Opposition have been invited to technical briefings and people on the Government side have not.
That should not happen. It should also not happen under the rules of the Civil Service. The briefings are meant to be-----
They were always meant to be.
That should never happen.
Correct.
I am not aware of it having happened.
It has on a few occasions.
I will take the opportunity to thank the officials. One in particular has spent three years of his life getting this to where we are now. This Bill will save a lot of lives, so I want to acknowledge the huge work and dedication that has gone into it from officials in the Department of Health to get us here.
Does the Minister wish to respond to Deputy Cullinane's point?
We will do it in as open a way as possible. When we have a position, we can send that on before any meeting.
I thank the members and the Minister for their co-operation this morning. I will probably be reading this out in my sleep tonight.
