Professor Michael Turner:

I thank members for their interest and their appropriate questions. I also thank Senator Crown for his kind professional remarks. Data collection is very challenging. Let me give an example. One might have a baby diagnosed with spina bifida in one hospital being transferred to be delivered in a second hospital and the surgery being carried out in a third hospital. There are a series of sets of data. One of the challenges - this is why this study by Dr. Bob McDonnell and Ms Virginia Delaney was so important - is that they drilled into the detail of individual cases to ensure there was no double counting. Many of the data sets in the past were confined to babies beyond 24 weeks gestation but we have had to drill down and try to get some of the data to which Deputy Kelleher referred. Much of the international data is regionally based. I hope Dr. McDonnell might come in as there are issues nationally in terms of data collection.