Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to welcome the witnesses and to thank them for their highly comprehensive presentations. This was not something about which I had thought in depth but having spent several hours going over the presentations last night, they certainly provided food for thought. They made me think about many issues pertaining to concussion about which I had never really thought previously. The presentations make it obvious that clear protocols are needed to adhere to best practice. I noted from the presentations issues such as the lack of neurosurgeons, the lack of science and funding, the need for further education and the science to recognise concussion, as well as how it should be treated. In his presentation earlier, Dr. Falvey stated that proper concussion clinics were needed and that it would be necessary to set up an international centre of excellence. This certainly is something towards which we must work. America was mentioned quite a lot throughout the presentations. Is it the model of best practice or should Ireland be looking towards another country? It also struck me that although we have no national database of concussions in sport, I have to hand a table setting out Ireland's concussion rate per thousand playing hours, which goes from horse racing down to American football. How are those data collated in the absence of such a national database? Were such a database to be established, who would be in charge of it? Who must ensure that these changes are made? As for education, I note that Scotland has been to the fore by providing leaflets at school and club levels. The leaflet advises coaches, teachers and parents on how to identify the signs of concussion and what actions to take. It states, "If in doubt, sit them out". Is this the type of education practice to which we should be adhering here in Ireland?

I will turn to the recent all-Ireland football final at which, near the end of the match, there was a heavy collision with perhaps 20 minutes to go. One player came off the pitch while the other remained on and played for approximately 20 minutes while concussed. Reference was made to the sport concussion assessment tool, SCAT 3, and my question is, did anyone use it with this player? Whose decision was it that he should remain on the pitch? I ask this because from reading the presentations, I gather that somebody who is concussed is not the best person to make such a decision. Should the referee have made that decision, should it have been the coaching staff or perhaps a qualified medic was available because it was an all-Ireland final? However, if one then moves to football and hurling at a lower level or to weekday matches in which seven, eight, ten or 12-year-olds are playing, sometimes one might have a referee for the match but there will be no sideline officials. It may merely be a parent who is taking charge and must such a parent have first-aid training? Who should identify whether a child is hurt? Whose responsibility is it if the child insists he or she is grand and wishes to play on? Is it necessary to put into legislation the decision of whose responsibility it is? I have one further point to make on rugby's five-minute concussion rule, which some people have stated is discredited. Do the witnesses have an opinion in this regard and if so, perhaps they could expand on it?