Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know the Deputy has done a good deal of work in this area. The last time I answered a question from him on this issue it received a negative reaction, which I had not intended to provoke. What we are trying to do is have a streamlined licensing system that can allow families to access appropriate drugs under the supervision and support of a consultant doctor. It will mean those decisions being made quickly in a streamlined way to ensure appropriate medicines can be accessed and licensed to be brought into Ireland for patients. That is my understanding of what the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is committed to. As far as I know, he has not refused any licence that has been requested and has the support of a consultant doctor in terms of the management of the case for the patient concerned. There is a commitment to try to streamline that process to ensure decisions can be made more quickly for the families concerned.

See this speech in context