Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I had asked a question on what penalties there were, if any. It is clear that there are none and that these are just recommendations. There is no possibility of enforcement and we are relying on people who are very busy to implement this. It is clear that it is not being implemented in all cases and that is worrying. The epilepsy in pregnancy register was raised. Can Mr. McGrane, speaking specifically for the HSE, say if it is possible that it can be adapted to take account of historical cases, as well as being used for the future? I appreciate that it may not be always possible to give a 100% diagnosis but if a mother has taken Epilim during pregnancy and has a child with some or all the symptoms as described, would it not make sense to assess the problem in a realistic way and assess its extent? There is a significant difference in the figures, that is, between 400 and 43, and if there was more openness on the part of the HSE to accept there might be an issue, it would be an awful lot easier to deal with it.

Do the witnesses think the register can be adapted to deal with cases retrospectively? If it can, when will it be done? If not, will a register be established separate to that?