Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Yes, the Acting Chairman and I, and perhaps other Members in the Chamber this evening, were part of that committee. I have prioritised this Bill. The obvious question I too would ask is "Has it been prioritised just now?". I can tell the Deputy, categorically, that the answer to this question is "No". The Chief Whip and I met several weeks ago to prioritise various Bills for this Dáil term, and the human tissue Bill was one of those Bills. My intention is to bring it to the Government for publication in this Dáil term and then to discuss it in the Oireachtas, and hopefully we will all pass it. It is important legislation. First of all, it puts on a legislative footing the standards and procedures we are talking about. It is not for debate tonight but the Bill also includes for the first time an opt-out with regard to organ donation, and various other technical aspects. This is very important and I believe it will save a lot of lives in future years.

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