The Senators claim that the Bill would improve the access of cancer patients to much needed drugs. The Minister for Health would strongly disagree and argue that the current system of care under the national cancer control programme, NCCP, particularly the medical oncology programme, provides cancer patients with access to optimum modalities of treatment along their cancer journey, including excellent access to effective cancer drugs. Furthermore, a Bill on the pricing and supply of medicines will shortly be brought before the House. The health (pricing and supply of medical goods) Bill 2012 will not only provide for an important change with the introduction of a system of reference pricing and generic substitution, it will also provide a statutory basis for decisions relating to approval for funding of medicines and pricing decisions. The legislation sets out clear criteria for the HSE in making pricing and reimbursement decisions, including clinical need, cost-effectiveness and security of supply. The HSE will, as necessary, require detailed assessments of drug efficacy and cost-effectiveness through the use of health technology assessments conducted, as appropriate, by the National Centre for Pharmoeconomics.