Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the groups for their presentations. It is a pity they all had to come in together because there is a lot of information there. I, too, will suck it because some of the questions have been asked.

The first speaker referred to the impact on those with lower education levels and those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds, diet, etc. I would be interested in hearing a little more in that regard. It astounds me that, according to the asthma association, one person dies a week from an asthma attack. I did not realise that.

As somebody who has dealt in the past with Dublin City Council, I am still astonished when I deal with queries from those who have housing difficulties that asthma is not registered as a medical condition with the local authority. If there is water running down the walls and there is damp on the ceiling, it is still not classed as living in poor conditions. When I go to any of the housing sections in Dublin City Council, it is astonishing that a medical officer can state that the conditions in which tenants live, particularly very bad conditions in many of the old flat complexes, do not contribute to the serious illness of asthma. I merely want that noted.

As somebody who has had the trauma of losing a loved one who had a donor card and whose organs were donated, I understand it is a terribly traumatic time for the family in general and that the only comfort at the end of it, after a couple of months or maybe even after a couple of years, is that the loss of the loved one has led to giving life to others. I am concerned about how people view being a donor, particularly how it is pictured. How does one advertise for donors? I am aware that one can tick a box on one's driving licence to be regarded as being a donor but there is a need for the process to be a more user-friendly. There is a need to go into schools and talk to young people. There is a need to go into the colleges.

Not everybody dies in road accidents. We just happened to have a family member who did. There could be a significant link with young people if they were given proper information. I suppose one aspect that struck us when we were left with that dilemma was whether one should sign this piece of paper or make the decision to leave one's loved one in a state of coma because he or she might come out the other end. One hears such stories now and again. What must form part of the education of asking people to be donors is the sensitivity of the tests concerned and the need to take in as an individual when somebody says there is nothing there. That goes for those wanting to be donors as well.

Will the witnesses provide evidence of being able to portray people wanting to be donors. It is important that such a message goes out, particularly to young people and families, and it needs to be provided in colleges, schools and workplaces such as here. It is not enough that one is asked to take a card at a counter in a shop and tick a box on that card. There is a need for something more than that.