Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to start by acknowledging the Labour Party's support for this Bill. It is very welcome. However, I think descending into name-calling is unfortunate and personalising it in that way is deeply unfortunate. I disagree entirely with how the Senator has just characterised the discussion she and I are having. I know that when I was in opposition, for years and years I tried to convince sitting Ministers to amend legislation in ways that were important to me. It very rarely happened. I could count on one hand the number of times it happened. I committed to the Senator, right here, seven days ago that I would amend the legislation based on what she had brought forward. I do not understand why she would describe that interaction and my commitment to her and to these children as "arrogance".

When it comes to the ethics, what I specifically questioned was a letter to parents which sounded incorrect to me. It sounded technically and legally incorrect and I have no doubt will have caused great distress to those parents. The Senator can go back and read the blacks as to what was said. It really worried me that any clinician would write a letter like that to parents. I do not think the letter should have been written and I do question it. I certainly do not question anybody's bona fides, be they in private practice or the HSE, in terms of trying to come to the best possible answer. Ultimately, this Bill will be regulating private practice and work within the HSE. As I laid out to the Seanad last week, the reason we changed it was because we got a very strong representation from the experts in the HSE. That is the reason. When the Senator laid forward the counterargument - indeed, I had consulted before coming in to Second Stage on that basis - I agreed to incorporate her amendments. I do not understand why she would come in a week later and be having the same debate.

I heard the Senator. I listened very carefully. We prepared for Second Stage last week on the basis of her submission. I sought additional clinical advice. I got it and I committed to the Senator that I was going to change the Bill. That is what happened last week. I just do not understand the representation she is putting forward today. We are working together on this. We are changing the Bill based on the Senator's representations. She read out my commitment, which is that we are going to include both the conditions and the treatment. In this case, the HSE got it half-right and so we are going to add in the other half. The reason we are not doing it now is because there is a danger the entire Bill would not get through all Stages in the Oireachtas in the next three weeks, which is something I am not willing to allow happen. In my wrap-up, I will go through the list of policy issues which we are going to be amending in the Bill. I apologise to the Senator; I thought she would be reasonably happy with last week. She brought something forward; I have agreed to amend the Bill. I do not understand her contribution today. I am puzzled by it.