Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge, as I have done many times before, the consistency and sincerity of Deputy Curran in his genuine efforts and endeavours to keep this issue on the political front. The reality is that the Minister unfortunately does not have the power to instruct the HSE to approve this drug tomorrow. That does not exist under the law. As a House, if we want to address that issue, it is open to any Member to table legislation on it. I take Deputy Curran's point on reviewing it from the Department's point of view to see if there is a difficulty which should be addressed. We are allowing the company to come back to the HSE. The Minister does not have a role or function in that process. That will come to an end in the next few days. We have to await the outcome of that to see if there is a change. We appreciate that very real people are at the other end of this but we also have a responsibility and cannot allow a drug company to demand whatever money it wants for a specific drug no matter how high the demand for the drug is. We unfortunately have a responsibility to the public purse too.

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