Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

As somebody who sat on the Medical Council for five years representing the public interest the Bill, as I stated on Second Stage, is 30 years in gestation. When I joined the Medical Council in 1999, people were clamouring for a new Bill. The then Act was so antiquated it was severely restrictive. The amending Bill was not rushed through the House. There was plenty of discussion. I remember that the most worrying part for the Opposition parties was proposal regarding a lay majority and they spoke forcibly against it.

This section is a technical part of this Bill to allow for a safe transition of powers from the old council to a new council, which is a worthy matter. If this was taken out, it would delay the entire process of transition. One must bear in mind that the present council has agreed to remain in place for a couple of months but if this does not go through, the current members could stay in place indefinitely and that would not be good for the medical profession or for the public interest, which, we must bear in mind also, the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 was set up to protect.