Mr. Eugene Lennon:

I might get my colleague, Dr. Devlin, to speak in a moment. I accept it is not easy to get a second opinion, but it does happen. In the scenario where a patient does get a second opinion and one or other consultant does not want to endorse a particular form of treatment, there is no role for the Minister or officials to tell the consultant they should prescribe a particular form of treatment which in their judgment they do not believe is correct.