Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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474. To ask the Minister for Health further to the Topical Issue debate of 1 April 2015 in which the issue of amending the Health Services (Amendment) Regulations 1971 to facilitate the rewording of an offensive term was raised, his views on amending the legislation by way of ministerial order; if this is the case, if he will provide a commitment to amend the legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18448/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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As I indicated during the Topical Issue debate on 1 April 2015, the term "Mental handicap" is used in the Health Services (Amendment) Regulations 1971, which specified the conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Scheme. While this was the accepted terminology at that time, the term "Intellectual Disability" would be considered appropriate nowadays. I have asked officials in the Department of Health to examine the feasibility of updating this aspect of the terminology in these Regulations.