Dr. Bernie McCabe:

In respect of the survey, there are two pieces. First there is what I will call a poll, for want of a better word. Three colleagues and I, who know one another from different areas and are friends outside of work, Dr. Montwill being one, were discussing our concerns about this law and decided to ascertain how many others had concerns. We tried to identify as many working consultant psychiatrists as possible. While the Irish college has a list, we were not allowed to use it because it is not used for such purposes. We generated 302 names - I believe there are approximately 350 - and sent out a postal questionnaire with a statement in respect of the evidence base. Arising from that, we received at least 130 responses. As the numbers continue to rise, I cannot really be sure precisely what number we have reached but we got 130 respondents. While 14 agreed with the proposals as indicated going through, more than 120 did not. This means that 90% of respondents to the poll did not agree with the proposals or had concerns about them. This indicates the level of concern among our consultant group.

As for the other issue regarding the college, on the Friday before the bank holiday weekend - I am unsure of the precise date - the college sent out an e-mail to more than 800 members. These included all levels of training and qualification-----