John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What the Minister of State has outlined has nothing to do with the question that was asked. He should be ashamed of himself. He was asked a specific question about supporting Mr. Holmes in the context of a cost of €5,111 for 30 treatments of the drug. All the Minister of State did, however, was give us a history lesson. The Government is cold and callous if it can stand back and watch the likes of John Holmes die when all he needs is the Government's permission to allow what Professor Crown has said Mr. Holmes needs, namely, to be given pembrolizumab. That is a simple instruction to the Minister to follow the medical need of Mr. Holmes, but the Government has refused to do that. Not only that, but the Minister of State has put this waffle on the record.

Will the Minister meet Mr. Holmes? Will the Government remove VAT from the drug? Will it assist the man to live or will it let him die? That is the question. The Government did the same in the case of young Isaac Brennan and Spinraza. The same argument was made in the Chamber, where the Government stated it would wait and see. Last week, the HSE made the decision to push out again the date for the final decision.

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