Mr. Shaun Flanagan:

With regard to the questions on the harmonisation of the assessment process, I will leave that to Professor Barry. With regard to the questions on harmonisation on reimbursement, there is obviously the challenge that different countries have different abilities to pay. That is a statement of fact. We have tried to engage with our colleagues in Europe. For example, in preparation and even during the Orkambi discussions we met our colleagues from The Netherlands in The Hague. Could we have agreed a process? We made a decision to say "Yes" in June but they have only been able to say "Yes" now. Our colleagues in the UK have still not said "Yes", nor have colleagues in Australia and Belgium. They have a different view to the one that the HSE and this State ultimately took. It is difficult to get everybody aligned on the same basis. I doubt that we got an offer that they did not get. I doubt my team is that good. Perhaps we are but I doubt it. I would imagine that pharmaceutical companies take a pan-European approach that at a particular point in time they will offer a certain price. Maybe in a year's time it will be that price minus 5% or minus 10% as price moves on.