Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Essentially, there are several layers to it. One is the Act itself, which sets out a lot of the requirements in terms of what must be conveyed and what consent covers. There is a layer of regulations on top of that. Then there are the hospital guidelines, hospital by hospital, and the appropriate oversight mechanisms there. For example, one question is, if you are a family member being asked to give consent and you are being provided with all of the correct information you should be provided with, where do you go if you are not happy for some reason? It is exactly those kinds of questions we need to ask. What is the patient or family advocacy and what oversight mechanisms are in place? I will ask the officials to revert to the Deputy on that.

I will come back to the Deputy with a note either during the meeting or afterwards on his question about what happens when there is nobody available to consent. I think that is what he is asking. I will ask the officials here to put a note together on that.