Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome our visitors in the Public Gallery. The Minister of State has been interacting a lot on this issue, both with us and with the relevant organisations in recent months. I thank him for accepting and bringing forward my amendment and that of Senator Bacik on the issue of medical evaluation. I did not see the letter that Senator Zappone read out, but over the last week I took the opportunity to speak to a number of GPs. Some of them had never dealt with the issue and never had one of their patients present with this issue, but they did say they would have no problem in dealing with it. They did not see the necessity of going further and are well able to deal with it. GPs in particular - unless there is a new GP moving into a town - have been dealing with families and children since birth. No one would know people better than their own GP.

I cannot understand why somebody would have to attend a psychiatrist. Are we saying that these people have mental health issues? If not, why should they have to attend a psychiatrist? These people do not have mental health issues. Some of us in this House might have more mental health issues than they have.

I ask the Minister of State to take on board Senator Zappone's suggestion that if he cannot accept the amendment today, perhaps he could interact on this issue with the Irish College of General Practitioners and the IMO before the Bill goes to the Dáil. Maybe an amendment can be tabled to this effect in the Dáil.