Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will start by noting that my colleague, Deputy Donnelly, had to go to the Dáil Chamber but he will be back. The witnesses are not escaping him, though they might want to. The witnesses are very welcome and on behalf of the public, I thank them for the fantastic work they do in the field of cancer. I also wish to acknowledge the great success of Daffodil Day. Where I am from in west Cork it is one of the busiest days of the whole year. I wish to acknowledge the sense of volunteerism that is alive and well in Ireland and to congratulate everybody involved in the day.

Professor Hennessy spoke about the value of the clinical trials. That really is an understatement. From the bottom of my heart I thank the witnesses for the work they do, because they certainly save lives. I commend the witnesses. How is it decided who is offered the trial and who is not? Professor Hennessy also spoke about going backwards. Is that totally down to funding or are there other factors?