Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I cannot accept this amendment. It is not necessary to include a requirement for an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity in primary legislation. The HSE’s Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland already publishes an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity. I have asked my officials to engage with the ODTI on expanding this report to include more information on donation patterns and why retrieval and-or transplantation was not possible, where appropriate.

Separately, the National Office of Clinical Audit undertook a potential donor audit feasibility study, which was published in March 2022. This turned into a larger potential donor audit development study, which was published in September 2023. The report from this study provides us with a more in-depth understanding of how the organ donation and transplantation system is functioning and will identify areas where improvements can be made. The Minister stated on Report Stage in the Dáil that it was his intention, subject to resources, that this audit would take place on an annual basis. I confirm his intention now and reiterate that I do not feel it is necessary to include an audit in primary legislation.