Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Murphy and Ms Spillane for the very comprehensive and concise submission. With regard to the issue of the expert group giving a number of different options for dealing with the issue of suicide, including an assessment by two psychiatrists and an obstetrician, given their experience in the Medical Council, what is the witnesses' view of the three options proposed and what is the most workable option, if that issue has been discussed?

A second issue arises. We will get a submission later today which sets out that the three Dublin hospitals have perinatal psychiatry specialists and they are the only three of the 19 maternity units in the country that have that specialist category. What is the witnesses' view, in a situation where there is a threat of suicide, as to whether the regulation should recommend that the patient would come under the remit of the specialists dealing with this issue in arriving at a decision?