Apart from the fact that this could be construed as the State abdicating its responsibility for making difficult decisions on resource allocation, it should be noted that the EMA conducts a scientific evaluation of a drug with a view to providing a licence for its sale in the European Union. Decisions on making a particular drug or intervention available to citizens should remain within the remit of the State. Approaches to priority setting require consideration of effectiveness and efficiency, as well as equity and fairness. Adopting the position suggested in the Bill, that is, that products for cancer treatment approved by the EMA be made available, fails to take account of the wide range of factors and constraints that may influence national priority setting. I do not doubt that, in the context of his research work, Senator John Crown is well aware of the other factors taken into account. In fact, he set out a number of them. Many factors shape decisions on access to therapeutic interventions. They include the benefit to patients, quality of evidence, the existence of alternatives, treatment duration, the potential to save or prolong lives, the total population of patients affected and the cost to the system. These factors are not part of the EMA evaluation.