Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not. What I would say is that we need the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to come to the House, before he goes to Europe, to discuss whether the Seanad can do a job in this regard. We need to move forward with electoral reform. I have often asked for a permanent electoral commission. I finished at a count in one of the electoral wards in Dublin this morning after 76 hours. That is not acceptable. I am not casting any aspersions on the staff there but the process is wrong and we have to look at how we can streamline it.

In the local and European elections, many issues played out. Yesterday, there was a Government mid-term election but I will not speak about certain successes or otherwise of parties or whatever but I will speak about the discretionary medical card issue. Some 55,000 medical cards plus have been removed from people who need them, the sick, the elderly and the young. The issue has been raised time and again here not just by me, but by many colleagues on the Opposition and Government benches. I was surprised at the weekend that certain Ministers appeared to be surprised that this was an issue. My party and its leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, and our health spokesperson, Deputy Billy Kelleher, have been raising the issue and specific cases for two years. I am aware the Leader has endeavoured to have a debate in this House with the Minister for Health. I ask the Leader to ask him again to come to the House. The Taoiseach has indicated there will be a review. Is that a review of a review? What are we going to do? They are all mixed messages. While this is happening, people with terminal illnesses and long-term illnesses and people with special needs and disabilities are losing medical cards. He really needs to come to the House to tell us what he is doing.

If I may, I will conclude on one particular issue, that of the multiple sclerosis drug, fampyra, which I am glad received some public prominence from RTE last week. I raised the issue in the House four months ago. This is a trial drug for multiple sclerosis patients about which people in my area have written to me. It allows them get their mobility back and to go back to work. The HSE and the Department of Health, to whom I have written on numerous occasions, continue to say they will not approve it after July for the purposes of the drugs payment scheme. I have sent correspondence to the Department of Health and the HSE with specific cases of people who have been able to go back to work. Do we want these people to be in hospital? This drug costs €240 per month for those patients' independence and quality of life. The Department of Health and the HSE continue to say that the HSE assessment process intends to arrive at a decision on the new funding of new medicines that is clinically appropriate, fair and consistent and sustainable.

In these circumstances, why has the HSE not approved the reimbursements of Fampridine under the GMS or other community drug schemes? It is not right and it should do so. I would ask the Leader to use his good office to raise the matter with the Minister again. I have covered the point, but I cannot understand that decision.