Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for their submissions. It has been enlightening to hear of the first-hand experiences of patients and those who are directly involved in addressing the issues presented by same. Like everyone else present, I have seen epileptic seizures in children that were so severe as to be distressing, not only to their parents, but to people who were not accustomed to such situations.

The Minister is anxious to bring this matter to a conclusion and to achieve the best outcome as quickly as possible, but I accept that we should take safety precautions. If we do not, we will knock the process back and the benefits might not quickly accrue to those whom we have in mind. A long time ago, a treatment was authorised and prescribed for hepatitis C. It both worked and did not work.

For some patients, the results have been dramatic. Compared with having no control over a child's situation, a parent or relative will be heavily on the side of trying to avail of the best possible treatment. I am disposed towards this approach, provided that adequate safety precautions are taken and we do not rush the fences by cutting corners and saying that, since everyone else is taking it, it must be good and we will all have a bit of it. We cannot do that when patients' lives are at stake. Consider the health of the nation.

We have had the debate about the various vaccines prior to this and some patients react in a totally different way to others. The question then arises as to whether we have taken the right decision. We have had this conversation before. I was involved in this back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, unfortunately. When one has seen some of the things that can happen, one begins to become a little bit cautious, notwithstanding the beneficial elements of it. I strongly support the availability of cannabinoids provided that all of these safety points can be met.