Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief in summing up the debate. Some vital components must be put in place and there is no major cost to the Exchequer in dealing with some of these basic matters. For examples, the establishment of a national organ donor register would encourage more people to sign up and be willing to be a donor. It would be most effective in this technological age, providing a central database that could be accessed by all hospitals. The UK has a similar register, and the country ran a campaign at the beginning of last year to highlight organ donation. Some 157,000 people registered in that instance, although I realise we cannot necessarily make comparisons because of a significant variation in population. It is nonetheless a tremendous response so we should immediately look to forming a register.

A new driving licence format has been introduced, giving an opportunity for people to agree to become an organ donor, designated by the code "115" printed on the back of the licence. The Government is essentially collecting information in this process, which is most important, and it will be a natural starting point for a national database at no extra cost to the Exchequer. Nevertheless, we must not forget that there are many people out there with no driving licence, so we may need to work out other mechanisms to bring in those people in a simple manner. There are people with no access to computers and organ donor cards could be allocated through other ways, including using a prepaid envelope to send details to the register.

We must continue to promote the idea of living donors and reduce the time taken for cross-matching and other aspects involved in the process. I applaud Mr. Joe Brolly for publicly becoming a living donor, as well as the recipient, Mr. Shane Finnegan. Such an act is the ultimate gesture of selflessness and bravery. It is really beyond the call of duty.

All those living donors who would do likewise are giving people life saving opportunities to live a normal life and they deserve the highest commendation. A high profile person like Joe Brolly is highlighting the issue for the public and raising awareness. He is a well known figure from his involvement in the GAA and what he did is to be highly commended.

We cannot forget the excellent work being done by the coordinators. There are six of them in Beaumont and we must provide more of them. It is an essential service and I hope the Minister will note that tonight and make proposals to develop it.

Given the current financial constraints on the health service, a primary barrier to the development of a successful programme is the requirement for a commitment to additional allocation of both financial and human resources to enable the service to develop and deliver. This will require a number of key elements including investment in infrastructure in the national renal transplant centre in Beaumont Hospital and investment in the development of the transport team, and the reorganisation of general urology services regionally and nationally. The kidney transplant programme is at a critical juncture; development of the programme needs further investment. The investment will result in the doubling of life expectancy of patients with renal failure and will save the health service in excess of €240 million in the next ten years. We should not overlook the financial gains or the new lease of life that is given to those who have been affected. The extension of the kidney transplant programme to cover 250 kidney transplant would result in enormous benefits.

I thank the Technical Group for allowing me to put forward this motion. I also thank Ms Yvonne Murphy, the secretary to the group, for her input and help with this. I am grateful to Deputy Patrick O'Donovan who brought in the transplant expertise group to Dáil Éireann. I approached Deputy O'Donovan saying I had an opportunity to keep up the momentum on this issue and he liaised with the Chief Whip who put me in touch with a very helpful senior civil servant in the Office of the Taoiseach who very generous with his time and services. We reached a consensus across the political divide and I welcome that. We should not make a political football of these sensitive matters.

I thank everyone who contributed over the two nights. The "Healthy Ireland - A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing" document was given to every Member today. In the forward by the Taoiseach, the last line is "We are in turn calling on leaders from every sector of society to join us, and help us. By getting involved, by working together, we can make real progress in making Ireland a healthier nation." We have set out, tonight and last night, down that route.

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