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

I am not going to interrupt again, but that is not acceptable. I want to repeat that we are all governed by European standards at the present time. We are part of a single market, the much-vaulted market that we are reminded of again and again, and there are huge benefits from it. It is a huge market of some 500 million people. We have been talking about small countries having individuals deals with pharmaceutical companies and such nonsense. We are wasting our time. We are playing around at the edges, and while we are doing so people are suffering or worried or may not have access to new medicines and may have to pay more for any medicine they use. It was mentioned earlier that some medicines have dropped dramatically in price. The reason for that is because of the type of discussion that we are having here now, but I can assure the witnesses that I do not accept the notion that we are not entitled to the same as every other person living in any other part of Europe.