Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response, which has filled me with optimism. It is essential that Government decisions be based on science and research. The Minister is right, in that, when we follow the science and the evidence, we tend to get better outcomes. Evidence-based policymaking should be at the heart of government.

I look forward to next week's debate on science. I appreciate that the Minister is not giving the House a direct answer, but on the basis of what he is saying, I am optimistic that he will be announcing that we will have the independent chief scientific adviser role recreated and that he is open to the idea of a scientific advisory council based on the evidence from other jurisdictions.

We are living in a period of phenomenal change and it is important that we be willing to use all of the evidence garnered from science and research to inform everything that we do at Government level. I look forward to the debate next week and I take the Minister's response positively, even though he may not have said it directly.