Official Report: Minutes of Evidence
Committee for Finance, meeting on Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Members present for all or part of the proceedings:
Mr Matthew O'Toole (Chairperson)
Ms Diane Forsythe (Deputy Chairperson)
Dr Steve Aiken OBE
Mr Gerry Carroll
Miss Jemma Dolan
Mr Paul Frew
Miss Deirdre Hargey
Mr Eóin Tennyson
Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Committee Report
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Committee members have been provided with a final copy of the Committee report on the Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill. The sections on clause-by-clause consideration and clause-by-clause scrutiny have been added following last week's discussions. Any typographical or formatting errors will be amended at the final proofing stage.
Does anybody have final comments to make or changes to suggest to the report? Are members content to proceed?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): OK, if there are no amendments to be made to the report, I will now proceed through the various sections in order to get formal agreement.
Are members content with the title page, the contents page, the section on Committee powers and membership, and the list of abbreviations and acronyms?
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): I turn now to the clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill section. It is at paragraphs 36 to 127. The next two sections cover a lot of what we did last week.
Dr Aiken: Do we have to go through that section clause by clause, or are you happy that we agree it as a whole?
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): We will take the section as a whole. Are members content with the clause-by-clause consideration section at paragraphs 36 to 127?
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The Committee report on the Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill will be the sixth report of the Committee for Finance. Do members agree for it to be laid in the Business Office and published on the Committee web pages in due course?
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Finally, are members content — I hope that they are — that we send a copy of the report to the Minister of Finance in advance of the Bill's Consideration Stage.
Members indicated assent.
The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): OK. Thank you very much, and thank you to the team, who did such sterling work on the report, and all who gave evidence towards it.