Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

5:55 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Dáil is due to sit for three days next week. Some 19 of the 34 Bills on the autumn 2015 list have been published along with six other Bills.

The reason for not having legislation today is the demand from Deputies for statements to deal with the flooding issue, which continues to be of critical importance and a great priority. I understand the legislation taken next week will be the Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill, Horse Racing Bill Ireland 2015 and Public Sector Standards Bill. A Whips' meeting will take place this evening and the position may change depending on requests made by the Whips. While I understand this is the legislation that it is intended to take next week, if Members want to change this at the Whips' meeting, it will be a different matter.

In respect of the cystic fibrosis drug, this is not a singular issue. New drugs regularly come through for clearance, some of which are exceptionally expensive, as the Deputy is aware. It is very difficult to balance life-saving new drugs - "frontier medicines" as the Deputy described them - against the costs involved. There is a process to be gone through in that regard.

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