Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment. It is important that institutions or private practices such as those referred to by Senator Jim Walsh be categorically excluded from the legislation. It is important that in the future, for example, where a public facility is unable to carry out the procedures mentioned in the legislation, the HSE not enter into any form of service level agreement with any private operator, as happens in other services within the HSE budget. Such operators are part of a private industry and while the HSE does not propose to go down the road of opening this up to private industry, it is important to state this in the legislation. Organisations such as Planned Parenthood in the United States made a profit of almost $80 million and the Marie Stopes organisation is heading in the same way. These organisations are looking at what we are doing with our legislation. I, therefore, ask the Minister to look at Senator Jim Walsh's amendment and urge him to reflect on it or provide us with some reassurance in this regard.