Written answers
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Department of Health and Children
Legislative Programme
8:00 am
Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when the legislation for organ donation will be completed; the stage same is currently at. [25518/10]
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I intend to bring a draft General Scheme of a Human Tissue Bill, which includes the issue of organ donation for transplantation, to Government for its approval, as soon as it is finalised. Subject to this approval, I will publish the General Scheme of a Human Tissue Bill. Two separate but related public consultations took place in 2009 to inform the preparation of the draft legislation. The first was a consultation process on consent for organ donation which took place between January and March 2009. Invitations for written submissions were complemented by a consultative forum which took place in February in Dublin Castle. The second public consultation was in relation to proposals for a General Scheme of a Human Tissue Bill which took place between April and May 2009. Information on these consultations is available on the Department's website. Consultations with Government Departments and Offices are on-going and the draft General Scheme of a Human Tissue Bill will be further developed based on the outcome of the consultations.
KARINA COLGAN
Posted on 16 Jun 2010 10:15 pm (Report this comment)
I am sure the fact that in the absence of such legislation, those affected by unauthorised organ retention are precluded from suing the State has nothing to do with the failure to enact such legislation as a matter of urgency. After all, it's 'only' 11 years since the organ retention scandal broke, 'only' 20m euro was spent on an inquiry that has yet to see the light of day and is the only inquiry in the history of the State not to be made public, and 'only' 33,000+ unclaimed organs remain in Irish hospitals today because nobody knew they were taken in the first place. Legislation is urgently needed to ensure organs are never again sold to pharmaceutical companies and legislation is needed to ensure organs can never again be retained without permission. Finally, legislation is needed so that those responsible can be held accountable and the Dunne Inquiry is made public.
Karina Colgan - author 'Trust Betrayed - How the Organ Retention Scandal Devastated Irish Irish Families' (2009)