Mr. Justin McKenna:

There is something I wish to address as time is now beginning to run out. Directly on the Senator's point, there are conundrums in doing so. If the idea of assisted dying is accepted in principle and it is then a matter of putting in place the proper safeguards to ensure it operates in a manner that can be managed and controlled, subsequent to implementation, there should be an implementation group established comprising patients, doctors, the HSE and the Department of Health. It might also include the Decision Support Service, Sage Advocacy and possibly the Law Society. The group would engage in a level of review and consultation, taking into account all of the points we have been making today in respect of autonomy and the assessment of decision-making capacity. Allied to that would be a service provider group that would look at the operation of the legislation. Within this service provider group, there would be the general practitioners, the advanced nurse practitioners, community pharmacists and palliative consultants and this group would be involved in a similar review process. In other words, the existing shortcomings in our health structures with regard to psychiatric care and mental health services would all be addressed in the same context. One would join up with the other. It is a matter of connecting the dots. Because we have now begun something, a debate which I hope will lead to legislation, it will not end there. We will continue to discuss this in the years ahead and it will improve as society says it should.