Ms Caitriona Mason:

The Garda representatives raised at the meeting on 16 December that their preference was for signage. As to how practical or otherwise it would be to put signs around nearly 3,500 GP practices remains to be seen. We have engaged with colleagues overseas with greater experience of implementing this type of legislation and looked at how they brought certainty to their law. We have been in touch with colleagues in the Isle of Man, where there is only one safe access zone, so it is relatively straightforward. They did a system of a surveyed map. Then we looked at the legislation that has been in force in British Columbia since 1995. Again, it is a case of detailed maps. On foot of receiving this information, we engaged with colleagues in the HSE around the feasibility of mapping our safe access zones. Engagement on that issue is ongoing. We will get back to the Garda Síochána-----