Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a question on the work being done and contacts at European level. I presume there are equivalent organisations supporting patients with the same medical conditions at a European level so has there been any contact with them about how they feel about joined-up thinking between countries to expedite the process? I go back to the German example. We are talking about being tied with smaller countries in trying to do deals with pharmaceutical companies. My view is we should be tied to bigger countries as we would be in a far better position to negotiate. That is the big concern I have. As I stated earlier, if there is a drug to help 20 people here, in a country the size of the UK or Germany, a far bigger number would be involved. The pharmaceutical companies cannot afford not to do a deal over there. Have the witnesses spoken with comparable organisations in other countries? There is also the medical connection and there is much contact between medical people involved in these areas. That happens in Ireland, the UK and Germany, for example. Has there been a sharing of information or working together to try to bring about the change being sought?