Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too echo what Senator Zappone said. In regard to what Senator Brennan has raised, I do not want to get caught up in semantics about whether the Minister brought it to Cabinet. My understanding was that the Minister wrote to the Tánaiste; I would have thought that was courteous, that one would write to the Minister who is leading the Bill asking that Minister to bring the amendments to Cabinet. I do not want to get caught up in the semantics of it but did the Minister of State's Department specifically go back to the GPs, as has been outlined by Senator Zappone, to ask about the 16 and 17 years olds? Did he ask the question or has he assumed, as he did when Senator Zappone first brought forward the letter from the GPs, that they would not be able to do this? My understanding is that they are willing but maybe they need to be asked.