Dr. Tony Holohan:

In regard to the first question, I am not aware of any such provision. On the question of viability, I dealt with that, in part, earlier on. We are not seeking to define an age beyond which, or below which, the provisions of this legislation would or would not apply, rather we are entrusting it to the assessments the obstetricians, in particular, will make as to whether viability has been arrived at. It is very difficult, as I am sure the Deputy is aware, to define that in time terms alone. Sometimes viability can relate to the weight and other aspects of the health of a given foetus. Viability may be arrived at a week or two earlier in the case of some foetuses. It would be unsafe for us to seek to define something which, as I mentioned earlier, is likely to shift as a consequence of the developments in the different relevant specialties.