Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Other legal provisions impinge upon the privacy of the individual. There are certain consent requirements for guardians, and so on. This is not a simple area of law. It must be dealt with properly.

The best way to give legal certainty and provide the necessary information for the review group is to bring forward a change in the law that would allow for the exchange of information between the HSE and the Department of Health and Children that would enable the group to get on with the work for which it was set up. That is the best way to deal with this matter. The work is under way and will be dealt with as a matter of urgency. I ask Deputy Kenny to accept this.

Clearly, the collation of information has been inadequate in the past. The fact that we have not been able to present the numbers quickly is a matter with which I am just as unhappy as anybody else.

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