Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The mechanism to prove residence continues to be the records of the county home. If a woman was admitted to the county home, she spent a period of time there and, when she went into labour, she moved to its maternity wing or separate maternity building, her residence in the county home is still based on the record of being in the county home. We are trying to distinguish where a woman came to the hospital and used it solely on the basis of its maternity services. I have to recognise that some of those women could have been single women. Many will have been married. They were using the location on the basis of its maternity services. This legislation is not designed to recognise that. Rather, it is designed to recognise people who spent time within the county home system. If someone left the county home, went to the maternity hospital, gave birth there and returned to the county home, it is still recognised within that person's time period. I hope I have given the Deputy some degree of clarity.