Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House and while it is true contrary views were expressed about him here, it was nothing like in the other House.

I welcome the Bill but, of course, for the parents and family, nothing will bring back baby Pierce or remove their great sadness. I was thinking, as others were speaking, about how their hearts must have been sorely tried but they did not sit back. They could have been overwhelmed by their sadness and not seen a road ahead that they could take. It is a principle of democracy that if improvements can be made through the enactment of legislation in a proper way to remedy a deficient situation, it should be done. That is the way the Nowlan family approached this issue and Deputy Rabbitte is to be greatly admired for his involvement. He told me two weeks ago that this Bill would be coming to the Seanad and I told him that no matter when that was, we would fit it into the legislative agenda. I am glad that we did so and that Senator Tuffy is here, on behalf of her party, to deal with the Bill. It reflects well on the Dáil and the Seanad because we are often criticised for "Tom and Jerry" politics. In this instance, a deficiency was noted and somebody, namely, Deputy Rabbitte, had the wit to see that it could be remedied and took action. He met the Minister and the Government and they chose to prepare legislation rather than make placards, go on marches and complain. They found a way to deal with the problem by amending part of an old Act so that differing facets of medical opinion could be given in the course of the inquest into the death of this child.

It will alleviate many burdens on the family and allow them a serenity they would not otherwise have enjoyed. It is a triumph for democracy that various strands of political opinion were able to confront and deal successfully with a heart-rending situation. Many Ministers attempting to perform an act of legislative mercy have been told by officials that they could not do so because it would require major legislation, which the Bill represents. I was never Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform but I often wanted to do something and was told that it was impossible. As often as not, however, I had my way.