Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply on amendment No. 65. As Members will be aware, the question was raised by somebody far more eminent in law than myself and it is important that we tease the issue out. Everybody knows my objection to section 9. However, I accept that the way in which the Bill has been constructed means that this amendment might not be a solution.

With regard to the comments made by Deputies Ó Caoláin and Naughten, there is still a case for using the words "to hear the woman and-or" so that somebody acting on the woman's behalf could attend with her and be heard. That is a reasonable proposition. At present it appears that the woman goes in on her own or somebody goes in and does the talking, but it cannot be "the woman and" a person accompanying her.

No more than Deputy Naughten, I have attended many appeal hearings and other hearings. The hearings are not major - Department of Social Protection hearings, in particular, are fairly benign - but lots of people like to have somebody with them.