Mr. Hugh Kane:

Deputy O'Loughlin asked several questions. The consultation process is something we are going to think about. There has been considerable consultation around developing the new policy for suicide prevention. We have no wish to reinvent consultation that has already taken place in that area. We believe that if we identify some key areas or questions for consultation, it may be the best way to do this. Our initial thoughts included providing for submissions or suggestions about how it might work. We have contemplated trying to workshop them in a way that would invite people to come in and make a short presentation to a group of critical thinkers. This would allow for different views to be run through a process in order to extract the gems we need to use.

It is possible to carry out consultation that ticks the boxes. Anyone can get through 25 boxes, but it is a matter of how to get value and how to use what comes in as well and build on what is in place. That is how we are going to do it.

I was asked about the timeline. We are aiming to try to finish by the end of summer next year. It should take nine months to a year. That is what we are looking for.

Deputy Rabbitte asked about money following the patient. Following our initial deliberation, we are starting to think about outcomes at patient level. The idea is that the resources start to go where people are delivering the outcomes. That is perhaps a way of trying to tighten it up a little as well.

I take the point about this being wider than sport. Whatever people are into is what we are trying to do.

The Chairman asked some other questions. We have been asked to produce a report that will go initially to the management board of the Department of Health and then to the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Daly. From there it will move to the Cabinet sub-committee. These are our terms of reference.

There was a question about how the members were selected. Several people, including me, were looking at the competencies and the type of people required. That is the criteria we have used to try to get a group of people together who can work at a high level.