James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These amendments tabled by Deputy Healy deal with the issue of consent. This issue is also addressed in section 16 of the Bill, which clearly states that the provisions of the Bill will operate within the existing legal provisions in regard to consent for medical procedures. The Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners of the Medical Council provides extensive information on the appropriate process to be followed to obtain valid informed consent for medical procedures. The HSE has also recently published its national consent policy, which includes detailed information on what constitutes valid and genuine consent and on how to obtain it. Therefore, I cannot support Deputy Healy’s amendments.