Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the motion proposed by Deputy Fleming and am happy we have cross-party agreement on it. A great deal of work has been done in the health committee by Deputies Jerry Buttimer, Ciara Conway and others to progress this scheme and they must be complimented on the work they have done.

The setting up of an organ donation system is a programme commitment of the Government. I understand that work on this has already been commenced, which is good. The next step must involve public consultation. It is important that we give everybody an opportunity to make their views known and to make submissions so we can understand what type of opt-out system would work best in this country.

In the short time available to me, I will outline some figures about donations in Ireland and talk about some e-mails I received from some of my constituents. Last year, there were 78 people who unfortunately passed away but also gave great hope and additional quality of life to other people because they donated their organs. In all, almost 250 people were given the gift of a new organ last year which obviously made not only their lives better but also those of their friends and families. That is not enough, however. Currently there are 650 people on waiting lists for organ transplants, which shows that the current system is not sufficient to deliver the number of organs needed.

I have been contacted by various constituents on the issue, including an individual with a lung disease that has much reduced his quality of life. A new drug which could vastly improve his quality of life is unfortunately not yet available. He wants an opt-out transplantation system to be introduced because he has been on the transplant list since last June. Such a system will offer great improvements to many people in Ireland. This motion is a step forward and it will give hope to many people.

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