Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the issue of the steps being taken to boost organ donation and transplantation rates in Ireland. I was very pleased that, in the face of difficult economic circumstances, the Government arranged for the HSE to allocate an additional €2.9 million to organ donation and transplantation in 2014. This additional investment is a clear demonstration of our commitment to this important issue. The extra allocation will facilitate the recruitment of 19 whole-time equivalent staff dedicated to organ donation and transplantation. These comprise four consultants, six organ donation nurse managers, five organ procurement co-ordinators and four quality officers. Four people are already employed in the new roles and others are at various stages of recruitment. All posts will be filled next year.

The consultant intensive care posts and the organ donor nurse managers being recruited will form a key element of the organ donation effort in each of the six hospital groups around the country. Having these people on the ground in hospitals will provide a major boost for organ donation. The consultants and nurse managers will work to foster a strong culture of organ donation, optimise conversion rates and champion educational strategies and training programmes that promote organ donation to health care professionals across each hospital group. These key personnel will have a particular focus on protecting the interests of donating families throughout the donation process. The consent of the next-of-kin will always be sought before organ donation and no organs will be removed without such consent.

We must do everything in our power to comfort, console and counsel families who find themselves in the most difficult of circumstances, having lost a loved one, while encouraging them to agree to donate the organs of their loved one. Ultimately, organ donation can bring great comfort to grieving families as well as representing a gift of life for others. In order to reduce the risks and maximise the benefits of transplantation, procurement and transplantation centres must operate an effective framework for quality and safety and this will be led by a dedicated team of quality managers. A quality manager has been appointed in each of the three transplant hospitals - the Mater, Beaumont and St. Vincent's - and the recruitment of a fourth quality manager for the national organ procurement service is being progressed.

In line with international best practice, the national organ procurement service is being separated from the renal transplant service. In order to facilitate the separation of donor and recipient co-ordination, five organ procurement co-ordinators are being recruited. One is already in post, three are to start in early January and the fifth is to start in March.

In conclusion, I assure the House of my commitment to improving our organ donation and transplantation infrastructure. Organ donation and transplantation is an area of health care that brings so many benefits to the lives of patients and their families. I am confident this extra investment will facilitate an increase in the levels of organ donation and transplantation, to the benefit of patients and their families, while being a source of some comfort and consolation to the families and friends of the bereaved.