Mr. Cathal O'Regan:

The best comparator might be a garda stopping somebody for a road traffic offence. The garda issues a fixed charge notice and the information is conveyed to the Road Safety Authority, which then issues the penalty points. There is a point of communication. The person is given a notice stating he or she is required to attend a SAOR brief intervention or HSE service, and the service itself is also notified. That is where the role begins and ends, rather than having the Garda issue adult cautions, for example, or make referrals for prosecution in the courts. The Garda's role is simply as the first point of referral into the services.