Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

With the help of Deputy Funchion and her committee, the assisted decision-making legislation is being subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny. I have no doubt that it will be scrutinised swiftly, after which we can bring it through the House. We need it for June of this year. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I are committed to that. Working with the committee, we seek to do that.

I hope the transfer of functions will occur far earlier than I have outlined. As soon as the legislation comes through the House, it can be implemented. The legislation in this regard is not being subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny. This was agreed with the health committee because the legislation is transfer-of-functions legislation. Once it is drafted, it will go straight into the House. That will certainly shorten the timeframe. It concerns a functional change, not a policy change, so I hope we can pass it through the Houses reasonably expeditiously. I hope that by spring, or perhaps early summer, it will be completed and the transfer of functions undertaken.

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