Seanad debates

Thursday, 29 September 2011

Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

As I understand it, and I may not be 100% correct on this, when a person is brought to an accident and emergency department and that person is a genuine major emergency, first he or she will probably be given oxygen and, second, he or she will have an IV line inserted in a vein in order that the person can be given fluids. However, before he or she is given fluids samples are drawn to be sent to the laboratory immediately to establish what is wrong with the person.

As I understand it, those samples are not used and cannot be used to test for alcohol and drugs - although they are often used to test for alcohol and drugs - as evidence against a person. The sample that is used as evidence in court must be taken subsequently and put into a little white pot with red tape around it. I am not 100% certain on that. I understand that in the UK that is not the case. There the samples taken by doctors that can be used in court but again the patient has to consent to that.

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