Ms Niamh Eastwood:

I will add to Professor Stevens's point. In Portugal, the dissuasion commissions are simply a matter of a referral. It is a paper that goes to the dissuasion commissions. It is not that anybody goes there. Some 70% of their cases are suspended. Even for those that go forward, the penalties include a fine to be paid to a local charity, for example. There is little diversion to treatment and even when that does happen, it is voluntary. It is when the person is ready. That reflects what Professor Stevens is saying. Portugal's is not a strict system but a more flexible one. The committee could reflect some of those practices, which do not require mandatory health diversions on every occasion, in its recommendations.