Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Department's representatives for their presentation and for the work they have done in this area. I welcome them to the meeting. It is just information that I am looking for really in the context of the point that, with regard to treatment, there were approximately 9,000 cycles in 2016. That was within Ireland. There are also huge numbers of people who travel abroad for treatment. Do we have any idea of the figure in that regard? Has any research been done on that? No matter what regulation we bring in, people will still have the option of travelling abroad. It is a big issue now due to the costs people are incurring here.

The next issue I want to highlight relates to the cost of medication. Has an analysis been carried out on the cost of medication here relative to the cost in other EU jurisdictions? My understanding is that it is extremely expensive and that the cost here is far above that which obtains in other countries. In introducing the scheme, do we not need to watch carefully to ensure we are not suddenly backed into a corner by pharmaceutical companies which see it as another opportunity to be on the winning side? It is one of the concerns we need to watch. As such, I wonder if an analysis has been carried out in that regard.