Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in thanking the delegation from the IMB for making a presentation to us today. The issue of the cost of drugs is raised on a daily basis, and people are looking to buy drugs more cheaply. The State has lost significant revenue because of the importation of illegal drugs. It would be better to bring the cost of drugs down to a level at which people could buy them. The Garda and the Customs and Excise must be commended for doing a very good job. Was the flyer that Mr. O'Mahony displayed dealing with the importation of illegal drugs or prescription drugs?

The dissemination of information causes me concern. Do we give people the right information? Do we point out the dangers of taking drugs that were not prescribed by a GP or medical professional? I still see people giving drugs to their relatives and friends if things are not going right for them. We should make it very clear to people that when they take somebody's drugs, it could be lethal.

I met two people in the past six months that have had to have their replacement hips replaced. My main concern is that they had waited for the initial procedure for such a long time and then had to go through it again. One woman had to have the hip socket removed and then wait for a number of weeks for the infection to clear before the implant was replaced. That is gruesome.

Can the witnesses give an indication of how many people are affected by toxicity levels in the bloodstream and what is being done for those patients? Some of my other questions have already been asked.