Dr. Lorraine Nolan:

There will be recommendations in the report. The Minister has asked for that. The Deputy made the valid point that it is up to the Minister to decide whether legislation will be required to enable this and then we begin the process of developing policy, which is long and will add more time. We acknowledge that, and we raised that point in the statement for that reason. It is an important issue. We have had this debate for a long time and the needs of many patients in the State have to be examined within this, so it must be done correctly. The Deputy referred to the point that I emphasised in the opening statement. There is provision within the existing framework which would allow a doctor to prescribe. To my knowledge it has only been used once previously, in the context of a clinical trial authorisation. To look at that previous precedent, it was in a circumstance where the patients were under the supervision of a specialist and the specialist was monitoring those patients and could follow up on their care. Certainly, there is provision there which can be looked at and, as part of the review and the work of the expert group, it would make sense to include that provision and examine it in the context of whether it could be used. The officials in the Department of Health would have a role in that regard as well.