Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all our contributors this morning. We have spent the last number of months listening to eminent academics, practitioners and advocates. There have been many contradictions and all have referred to evidence to support their own position. We are charged with drilling down into that and coming forward with a recommendation for our own country. Even today, Professor White has spoken about robust protections being in place to protect the vulnerable in society but Professor MacLeod has spoken about an inability to put in legislative safeguards to protect against coercion behind closed doors. Those two positions are very much contradictory as regards protecting the vulnerable. I ask both to comment on that.

Professor White spoke about research and interviewing 140 people across three states. How reflective is that research? It seems like a small number of people in a well-populated area. What are Professor White's views on that?

Professor MacLeod said that "Requests for hastened death are not uncommon but are rarely sustained once effective palliative care is provided." Can he quantify that? Is that just anecdotal evidence or does he have hard facts to back it up?

In reply to a colleague, Professor White said that he preferred to keep his comments to Australia and not to speak to the Canadian experience. We have to look at all experiences. That is the purpose of the committee's deliberations. The Canadian experience leads me to think that the robust safeguards initially introduced have been weakened over a period of time to allow a greater number of people to avail of the service. Does he foresee that happening in Australia?

Finally, I am not sure who spoke about palliative care because I did not take note of it. I think it was Professor MacLeod who said it is not widely understood either by the public or professionals. What is being done to ensure that it is better understood in New Zealand?