Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for their contributions today. I want to raise an issue in relation to the submission by the Irish Medical Council this morning. The IMC is at variance with a proposal in the heads of the Bill. Its proposal is that the text in head 4(1)(b) should be amended to read:

two psychiatrists, have, in accordance with this head, jointly certified in good faith that-(i) there is a real and substantial risk of loss of the pregnant woman's life by way of self-destruction, and
(ii) in their reasonable opinion this risk can be averted only by that medical procedure.

The IMC is saying two psychiatrists should sign off on that and then there would be a consultation with an obstetrician. What is the view of the witnesses about that?

Do the witnesses feel that there is adequate protection in the heads of the Bill in relation to the decisions they have to make on a day-to-day basis, particularly where decisions are being made in respect of a person who is under 18 years of age?

One of the witnesses referred to the consultant-patient ratio in this country compared with others. It would be helpful if we could be given the figures comparing Ireland with one or two other countries. It is important to get that information out there given that we have a very high number of patients per consultant compared with other countries.