Professor Mark Lawler:

With regard to what Deputy Smith said, I know David Byrne well. We have worked together on a number of initiatives, including the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine. There is now an opportunity for European competence on health. As President von der Leyen has said, health in all policies is part of her initiative as the leader of the European Commission. The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, is a cancer survivor. We highlighted the cancer mission earlier on. Time is ripe at the European level not for Ireland and Northern Ireland to be a partner, but a driver and leader, in where cancer research and care will be over the coming decade.