Last week, I was at a conference with the Minister and the EU Commissioner. We discussed various topics, including healthcare and the development of a life science strategy in Ireland. I know it is something that he and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, have worked intensively on. We met with people in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and industry, as well as patient advocates. There will be an important meeting of the HSE drugs group next Tuesday, which will discuss Skyclarys, and recommend it, hopefully, for appr…

I acknowledge the attendance of Deputy Carrigy who has brought the FTD brothers, Jordan and Cian Adams, into the Public Gallery. I welcome them to the Dáil.

It was remiss of me not to welcome members of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I am struggling to see through the glare of the glass. I can see a Limerick man, Kevin Quaid, up there. It is not too often that a Cork man would welcome a Limerick man but I welcome Kevin. I can also see Siobhán. I think Andy Heffernan was there as well. I welcome them all.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, for coming in to take this matter, which relates to the drug Pluvicto. This drug is for men suffering with prostate cancer. It was granted European Medical Agency, EMA, approval back in 2022. The HSE received an application for reimbursement on 9 January 2023. A rapid review was commenced shortly thereafter, on 10 February 2023. It was decided in March 2023 that a full higher technical assessment, HTA, was required in order to assess the efficacy of the drug. …

I have asked many parliamentary questions on this over the past few years. Very little has changed. The only thing that gives me hope is that the company has since met the CPU and submitted a commercial offer that remains under consideration. I am not asking for special treatment for any drug. These are all subject to commercial sensitivity. I am asking for fairness. This process started in January 2023, so we are here three and a half years later. They should be given a final response one way or another. That is a…

I want to raise with the Taoiseach once again the issue of rare diseases. It is something on which we have made considerable progress in recent months. We had the very effective campaign run by Senator Costello and others on the reimbursement of givinostat. On foot of this, the Minister has also ordered an end-to-end review on drug reimbursement as a whole. These are very much welcome. In relation to comments made by a member of the NCPE over a week ago on RTÉ radio, does the Taoiseach think is appropriate that a m…

Initially when I saw this tabled by the Business Committee last week, I wanted to get in early to speak. I did not realise it would be 12:50 on Wednesday morning.

It is early for some people. On a genuine level, I am actually happy. I listened to people from Independent Ireland just before they exited the Chamber listing villages where, allegedly, closures of childcare facilities have happened in the past while. I think one was actually accurate. The rest of the villages were just thrown into the debate because it sounded good. That is not to say there are not problems in this area; there 100% are. It is not to say there is not a shortfall of places because there are. Trust …

Another Thursday and another question on rare diseases. The Minister might want to answer this. Last Sunday, I was on my way to the Cork-Offaly match and I heard an interview between Paul Cunningham and a member of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE. To say I was very disappointed with what I heard would be an understatement. I raised it at the health committee yesterday with Department of Health officials and the HSE. The programme for Government is explicit. It contains a provision for an early acces…

We all know the great work done in our maternity wards across the country. I would like to thank all of the doctors, nurses, midwives and consultants who provide care for women across the country. My wife gave birth to our three children in the maternity ward in CUH and received the best of care. It has come to my attention that for some reason one of the State's four tertiary maternity hospitals serving the south of Ireland, CUH, does not have a dedicated consultant in maternal medicine to manage complex medical c…

I now call Deputy Cullinane.

I think it was five weeks ago the Tánaiste suggested we do these statements and I commend him for that. I thank the Minister for being here. We have had many a discussion over the 18 months since the Minister was appointed. I wish to start by commending her. She has showed an awful lot of interest in this area since she has taken up office; far more, than many of her predecessors of the ten or 15 years prior, I might add. I commend her for that. The news of the review was kind of lost last week with the whole reimb…

I realise this is the third Topical Issue out of five relating to Irish Water. I cannot say I am surprised, although they are different issues. I feel obliged to come here this evening to relay the concerns of the residents of Courtbrack, outside Blarney. There is an issue happening with their water supply for some time. I have all of the emails here from Irish Water. There are pages and pages of them and it thanks me for my representation and hopes it has provided clarity and answered all the queries of the reside…

I thank the Minister of State. That is more or less the same answer I got in all of these emails so it is not surprising. The Minister of State knows the score and I know the score. Most people here know the standard of responses we get from Irish Water. I do not think it is too much to ask on behalf of residents, especially if the Minister will make representations on this and I will talk to him myself about it, what specific remedial works are being referenced? The Minister of State read in the answer that Irish …

I wish to ask specifically about the operational side of things in preparation for potentially playing this match in Dublin. What level of engagement has the FAI had with relevant agencies, including Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána over the past number of weeks in anticipation of this match? Are there any security concerns if the match were to be hosted here? What risks have been highlighted? What steps are being taken to mitigate those risks if the match were to be held? I will not get into a debate with…

I refer to an article in The Irish Times from two days ago which stated that the association’s board continues to meet to discuss the operational aspects of hosting the home fixture but that there are ongoing discussions. That is fine. It is still discussing potentially hosting the game here albeit as the Minister of State has referenced, it is very likely that the game will be held elsewhere if it is held at all. If the FAI is having meetings to discuss operational aspects of hosting it still, has the Minister of …

I ask the Minister for an update on the LSSIF, including detail about each project. Maybe the Minister of State can give me that afterwards. I do not expect him to list them all. I also ask for the amount that has been drawn down and the amount that has yet to be drawn down.

It will not come as a surprise to the Minister of State that I have asked this question before at committee meetings. To be fair, he knows my form on this. I do not begrudge anybody getting money they have applied for, or any of the sports bodies that have applied on behalf of clubs, mainly national clubs but what irks me is that, as he said, nine projects from 2018 have still not commenced. We just need to take the bull by the horns at some stage and have a realistic conversation with some of those organisations t…

The Minister of State says this will not be on the never-never but the reality, as he said, is that nine projects have not commenced since 2018. There are more that have been allocated funding in a subsequent round. Deadlines need to be imposed. It gives me no satisfaction to say here that this is State money and that if State money were allocated for projects in any other field, we would be asking about it. We want accountability and transparency. We want projects delivered, let us be truthful. If the initial proj…

I again raise the issue of rare diseases, which I have raised consistently in the House for the past five years. I have spent the past hour and a half with Senator Costello, who was meeting with parents whose children suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They received the good news this week that the treatment drug is on its way to the HSE management team for consideration, having been positively recommended for reimbursement. It is a great relief for the families but the victory is bittersweet because they kno…