Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise a particular issue with the Leader but I could use any of the legislation or motions on the Order Paper as an example. The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill was before the Seanad a year ago and, having read the Order Paper, I understand it is still with the Dáil. We should arrange a debate here on why the Dáil has not passed the Bill yet and why we still pay large amounts of money to drugs companies. At the time of the Seanad debate, we on the Opposition benches offered to rush the legislation through in order to extract substantial savings for the taxpayer and the health system, but nothing happened. The Government decided to delay the passage of the Bill through the Seanad for whatever reason and its passage through the Dáil seems to have been delayed. Therefore, it is about time we arranged a debate on the issue of the price of medicines. This morning I heard a report on my local radio station about people whose medical cards had been taken away without notification and without their knowledge. Cuts have also been made throughout the health service, with nurses and ordinary staff in the health sector being targeted for pay cuts, yet nothing has been done about the moneys paid to drug companies. That is fundamentally unfair. Drug companies have been let off the hook and have been treated differently from medical card holders, staff and patients of the health service. Last year the Seanad had an opportunity to rush the legislation through, but our offer was declined.

The House is now in a pitiful state, with no legislation to debate today. All we have is an address by Ms Marian Harkin, MEP, who has done and continues to do fantastic work, but we could have met her in the AV room in Leinster House. I welcome the MEP, but hearing her address is not a function of the Seanad, whose function is to legislate. I will not mention the legislation because technically it is within the purview of the Dáil to do what it wants. Therefore, I am tabling an amendment to the Order of Business. I propose that, in addition to Nos. 1 and 2, we discuss the failure of the Government to deal with the State's crippling drugs bill. I want us to hold the debate today in the presence of the Minister for Health.