Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I met Vera and Paul on Thursday. It was my fourth meeting with them, and I was in further contact with Vera yesterday by e-mail. The advice available to me is very simple. The Chief Medical Officer has said to me that it requires the signature and support of a paediatric neurologist. I do not have an application with a paediatric neurologist's support. If I had one, without changing any law, we can make that available through the current system. I believe, however, that we should introduce the compassionate access programme but let me be very clear on that. The compassionate access programme as cited in the HPRA report still talks about the need for a consultant. What I ask all Deputies in the House to do is work with me through the Oireachtas health committee to bring forward this issue as quickly as possible. I wrote to the Oireachtas health committee yesterday. I see no reason why the Oireachtas health committee could not have the HPRA in before it as a matter of urgency to try to progress this issue. I will be happy to meet with the representatives of each of the political groupings in this House to see how we can progress it.

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