Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Teap.

I wish to ask both of our witnesses about mandatory open disclosure, about which they have talked. The related Bill was before the Dáil last week on Second Stage. One point I made to the Minister on Second Stage was that it is all well and good telling clinicians through legislation that they have to disclose, which is correct. I imagine the single biggest cause, however, of clinical error is overworked, overwhelmed, understaffed and under-resourced clinicians. It is a bit rich for the Government to be legislating for mandatory open disclosure of clinical errors when it is failures in the public health system that are putting our clinicians in an impossible position. I note the witnesses - without putting words in their mouths - have said something and have referenced this. In both of their opinions, where they obviously are engaging with clinicians a lot, are our clinicians working in a safe environment and in a position where they can do the job safely?