Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to echo the sentiments around the House regarding the "Prime Time" report last night.It is shocking to think that 81,000 people are on a waiting list and 34,000 people are awaiting endoscopy procedures which are vital in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers.

I call for an urgent debate on a separate issue, namely, to ascertain the plans the Minister has in place to safeguard the 50,000 or more employees who work in the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland. These people need safeguarding because of the policies of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. During his first press conference, the then President-elect decided to target the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. In doing so, the stock prices for major US pharmaceuticals dropped more than $25 billion in 20 minutes. It is the longer-term impact which can be more profound and about which we must be concerned.

My party colleague, Deputy Niall Collins, expressed his unease at President Trump's comments at the time and also questioned the failure of the Government to spell out any plan to respond to the emerging threats to jobs in US owned companies in Ireland. One month on, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, has yet to adequately respond to these threats or illustrate any kind of plan to deal with them. President Trump wants the US pharmaceutical companies to which Ireland is home to close up shop and return to the US. He has spoken forcefully about getting US pharmaceutical companies to make a return and imposing sanctions on those which do not.

It is worth remembering that Pfizer employs 3,200 people at six different sites across the country. AbbVie's Irish operation employs more than 500 people in five locations across the country and Boston Scientific, which was founded in Galway in 1994, employs more than 4,000 people across Ireland. These are just a few of the companies that are providing jobs and benefitting the Irish economy.

If we have learned anything from the first 18 days of the reign of President Trump, it is that he was not simply paying lip-service throughout his campaign, and his plans for the pharmaceutical industry are no exception. He is a populist President and pharmaceutical companies are a popular villain. We cannot allow his comments, which are very likely to become actions, to rock a recovering country and one of our most fruitful industries.