Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand the Senators' comments but I still have to deal with the issue that this is not just in the pharmaceutical sector. I must talk with the other companies. We have written to the companies and I am meeting some of them tomorrow to understand exactly what their views and issues are. To be fair, the concerns of the pharmaceutical industry only came to light in the last few weeks, so it is too soon for us to know how others are affected. I will consider it on Report Stage. If legislation is required, it must be very careful and I must ensure it is properly drafted. The drafting of the audits Bill is well advanced and it should be ready in a few more months. The pharmaceutical companies have four and a half years, so it is not as if they will have an issue tomorrow or in the next number of months. I will consider the matter on Report Stage and if I cannot do it well enough then, I will definitely do it in the audits Bill.