Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, Finance Bill 2016 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and adjourn at 3.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 2, statements on climate action and low carbon development, to be taken at 3.30 p.m. and to conclude no later than 5 p.m. with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes each, those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each and the Minister to be called on to reply no later than 4.52 p.m.; and No. 3, Private Members' business, Public Bodies Review Agency Bill 2016 - Second Stage, to be taken at 5 p.m. with the time allocated to the debate not to exceed two hours.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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It is not often an issue comes before the Oireachtas that is as clear cut, brutally simple and has life or death implications as the issue of organ donation and the provision of the drug Orkambi for people who suffer from cystic fibrosis. It is a life saving and life improving drug, but the Government has suspended negotiations on it. We understand that the Minister for Health was supposed to meet his European colleagues and try to secure an over-arching approach to this, but he has not managed to get a solution from them.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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He is on his way to the airport.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I know, but he does not have a solution.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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He had to be at the airport at 5 o'clock this morning.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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He told us clearly months ago-----

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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He is at the airport.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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He told us months ago that he was going to write to them.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Feighan, the Leader will respond. Allow Senator Daly to continue.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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In the meantime, people have been going in and out of hospital or spending months in hospital. There is no urgency on the part of the Government on this issue. Members attended presentations on the matter in the audio visual, AV, room yesterday and last week. The presentation yesterday was by Deputy Kelleher, our party's spokesperson on health. It is particularly moving to hear about people whose families have suffered bereavement or whose children have had to be put into comas rather than suffer through the agonising pain of having their lung function decrease, and then to hear from those whose lives have been transformed and even saved as a result of this wonder drug. The issue here is economics as much as anything else.

Our organ donor system is a shambles. In 2013, the Seanad was recalled from its summer recess to discuss the organ donor system. We spend €325 million per year on kidney dialysis and on keeping people who are awaiting organ transplant alive. In this country 65 people die each year while waiting for an organ transplant. Then there are the people who are taken off the transplant list because they simply are not well enough to receive a transplant. They die quietly and are not even recorded as a statistic. A total of 650 people are awaiting transplants, be it a lung, heart or kidney, and it costs €325 million. We should have a system in which kidney transplants alone are carried out correctly. Croatia transformed its system ten years ago and it now has a surplus of organs to give to other countries. We do not have that system. Our system simply does not work. It is not fit for purpose. A Member of this House, who was the Minister for Health at the time, signed the first legislative measure in the history of the State relating to organ transplantation, and it was signed on the last day required under an EU directive. It was described by organ donation organisations as something that would cost people's lives because it was such a shambles. It did not improve the system but actually made a bad system worse. It did not give power to one authority but to a range of authorities. If we had a functioning organ donor system that worked, the €325 million per year being spent on keeping people alive could be used to purchase the drug Orkambi-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Senator. Your point is well made.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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-----and there would be a surplus left. This is not about Orkambi as such, because there is a bigger issue. People are dying on the waiting list and other people are taking up hospital beds when they would prefer to be at home and contributing to society. This is all because our organ donor system simply does not work.

We will press for an amendment to the Order of Business with regard to No. 12 on the Order Paper.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Are you proposing an amendment to the Order of Business?

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Yes, that No. 12 be taken today.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Is it to be taken before No. 1?

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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What item is that?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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It is No. 27, motion 12. I call Senator Craughwell.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I congratulate the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, for moving swiftly on the issue of pensions in Independent News & Media. That is the type of action one expects from a Government Minister. However, while he is to be congratulated for it, that should not be seen as endorsing him as leader of the Fine Gael Party or the like.

Senator Mark Daly spoke about Orkambi and I am aware that people are travelling from all over the country to protest outside the Dáil today. I will not get into the debate on Orkambi, as it has been well outlined by my colleague. However, recently I visited Spain where I met a former colleague who happens to be on blood pressure tablets. He told me that he had bought his year's supply of those tablets for €14.95. The same tablets cost him €1,100 here.

We are members of the European Union. Why in God's name are we not centrally managing drugs and drug purchases at EU level, rather than individual member states trying to manage it? The type of costs involved with Orkambi are absolutely massive. I accept that drug companies must be able to get a return on their investment, but why must this poor little country suffer every time when it is part of a much larger economic community? If the EU can manage agriculture and manage fisheries, badly, for this country, along with managing all sorts of other things, surely it should be able to manage the drugs industry and ensure there is a standard cost across Europe, instead of there being different costs in different places. People tell me it is cheaper to book a flight to Lanzarote, buy their drugs for the year there and come home with change in their pocket than to pay what they are being charged for them in this country. I am sure that is not all due to the chemists. I commend the people who try to negotiate a reasonable price for drugs in this country, albeit I am deeply saddened that the Orkambi issue has not been resolved as it is having a serious impact on families.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Yesterday, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport warned that Bus Éireann is facing insolvency within two years unless "difficult decisions are made".This begs the question as to who will be obliged to make those difficult decisions. The Minister is talking about axing between six and eight of the least profitable routes and we know that Bus Éireann wants to separate the Expressway service from the rest of the firm. We also know who will suffer as a result. It will be the people of rural Ireland, for whom these bus routes are a lifeline. The staff will suffer through further job losses and pay cuts. This is part of a very worrying bigger picture when it comes to public transport. We know Iarnród Éireann faces insolvency unless it receives a much-improved subvention. All three public transport companies have seen the level of State subvention reduced by approximately one third in recent years. To make matters worse, last year the National Transport Authority unilaterally took €2 million from Dublin Bus because it deemed the company's profits to be excessive. I question the role of the National Transport Authority, which seems to be pushing for outsourcing and privatisation at every opportunity.

At the heart of the issues affecting our public transport companies is the inability to plan their budgets, particularly their expenditure more than 12 months into the future. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport must commit to agreeing and implementing a multi-annual plan for the entire public transport system as a matter of extreme urgency. I find it very difficult to believe that nine months into his role as Minister, he is still floundering on the issue of subvention for public transport companies. At yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, we discovered that, nine months into his tenure, the Minister, Deputy Ross, has yet to meet his opposite number in the North, the Minister for Infrastructure, Mr. Chris Hazzard. I just cannot understand it. What is the man doing?

It is time to have an adult conversation about public transport. As my union, SIPTU, has pointed out, we can have a sustainable public transport system that provides a world-class service to the public and decent jobs for employees but this Government does not have the will to make it happen. Once again, it is down to ideology. We know Fine Gael has been the driving force behind the plan to hive off profitable routes from Dublin Bus and that it would rather continue to cut the subvention, outsource services to the private sector and undermine our public services in the process. Fine Gael Members then stand up in the Chamber and bemoan the fate of rural Ireland.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport back to the Chamber. Perhaps the Leader could persuade the Minister, when he does return, to spend less time speechifying and a little longer dealing with issues of concern.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I thank the Leader for the work he did in inviting the appropriate Minister to make a statement on climate action and low-carbon development. I hope and believe this will be a landmark day for the House, as we will see - for the first time - real and positive action on how Ireland can show leadership when it comes to climate change. I ask the Leader to ensure there is adequate time for the Minister to respond to contributions from Senators. When the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, came before the House recently, it was unfortunate that he spent too much time talking about rugby and not enough speaking about his policies. I ask the Leader to ensure that there is adequate time for responses to contributions from the Senators. I compliment the Leader and his staff on ensuring this debate is taking place today.

John O'Mahony (Fine Gael)
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I join with others in referring to Bus Éireann, particularly in the context of the Expressway service that seems to be under threat. It is important that the Minister comes before the House as a matter of urgency in order to deal with the matter. We can all jump up and down and the blame game has already started. Ultimately, we need solutions and something does not add up. In the past couple of years there has been much investment in a modern fleet for the Expressway service, providing Wi-Fi and toilets and so on. These are really brilliant buses. Bus Éireann has told us that there have been increases in passenger numbers. However, this may only be on certain routes and it, in turn, would increase the pressure in the context of other routes. We can all jump and down, blame each other and politicise the matter but there is a window of opportunity in terms of doing something about this. Could we tweak the system, perhaps in rural areas? Could services be maintained with smaller buses rather than 53-seaters? We have all seen half-empty buses. There is also the issue of "use it or lose it", etc. We do not want to be here on a Wednesday, seeing strikes tomorrow or the next day. There is a window of opportunity to do something about this. We should work in a calm and collaborative fashion. In order to start that process, the Minister should come before us and outline his plans rather than just saying that the company will be insolvent in two years. What can be done in the immediate future to resolve this matter?

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I second the proposal by my colleague, Senator Mark Daly, on No. 27.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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It is No. 27, motion 12.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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That relates to Orkambi.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Yes. Today is National Missing Persons Day and an event hosted by the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, is being held at Farmleigh House with some of the affected families. Every year in this country, 9,000 people go missing but, thankfully, most are reunited with their loved ones. It is estimated that approximately 50 to 80 people remain missing and I can only imagine the heartbreak this causes for families. On the radio this morning I heard a young gentleman from County Mayo outline how his sister went missing over 15 or 16 years ago and how his heartbroken mother and father passed away not knowing where their daughter was or what happened to her. He outlined the trauma and heartbreak that family went through. It would bring tears from a stone to hear him talking about that. We can only imagine the pain and trauma felt by that family, along with all the rest of the families where loved ones remain missing. I appeal this morning to anybody who has information that might bring the nightmare to an end for such families to come forward in order that they can finally have closure.

There is a national missing persons helpline, of which the Leader is probably aware. It is estimated it takes approximately €35,000 per annum to fund this helpline. Unfortunately, donations are falling, and the State makes a contribution of €5,000 per annum to the helpline. I ask the Leader to ask the relevant Minister if the State could consider increasing its contribution to this very worthwhile cause.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I wish to highlight a good news story by welcoming the announcement at the weekend by the US Department of Transportation that it will grant a foreign licence to Norwegian Air, thereby facilitating the development of a route from Shannon and Cork to the east coast of the US. I also welcome the 30 jobs announced this morning announced by Acacia Communications in Limerick. The company is from Maynard, Massachusetts, and in the announcement it was indicated that infrastructure and links were very relevant. It is most important for us to consider our airports in terms of job creation. This company is a provider of high-speed coherent optical interconnecting products and the headquarters will be in Limerick. It was most enlightening to hear the chief executive officer welcoming the links and the fact they can get here through Shannon Airport to Limerick, where the company will have its European headquarters. It is very important for us to create many links between different countries and our airports in order to benefit job creation.

Maire Devine (Sinn Fein)
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I will briefly mention value for money in the context of medication and drugs. The UK Competition and Markets Authority has fined the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer £84.2 million for the 2,600% overnight price increase in respect of the drug Epanutin, which is used to treat epilepsy. This price increase cost the National Health Service and British taxpayers millions. I do not know if we have a similar watchdog but that is certainly a gold standard in asking companies to be more responsible. The profits some companies make are absolutely obscene.For many years, constituents of mine who live in social housing have been contacting me due to damp, mould and condensation problems within their dwellings. The reason for these problems are almost always laid squarely at the doors at the tenants. The authorities carried out inspections time after time in various tenancies and always came to the same conclusion: tenants were causing these issues. Residents in my own constituency, Dublin South-Central, living in Tyrone Place, Inchicore, took it upon themselves to commission architects to examine the reasons for dampness within their residences. The findings showed that the buildings were unable to provide adequate ventilation, making them very difficult to heat and, therefore, creating damp conditions. The problems were shown to be extensive and very serious. Despite tenants using mould remover and freshly painting walls on a continual basis, it was still happening. Local councils have been laying the responsibility for carrying out condensation repairs on the tenants. The finding of this report totally exonerates the tenants. I ask the Leader to contact the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to ensure that funding can be secured from his Department to carry out repairs and makes these tenants' environment much healthier. I will submit this as a Commencement Matter if the Leader cannot provide a sufficient response.

Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael)
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Christmas is approaching and it is in the spirit of that season that I raise the whole matter of shopping local. There are many local and national initiatives encouraging us to see what is available around us and to buy local. Indeed, last Saturday was small-business Saturday. I was at our local Foxford Christmas craft fair, which has been going on for years. What is notable about it is that it sells all Irish crafts, produce and so on. I believe it is a very good time to look at small shops and businesses to see how we can support them.

I rise to highlight a particular matter that I feel is flying in the face of this, which is An Post's promotion of the AddressPal card. In promoting the card, they are encouraging people to shop on UK websites. They are promoting it by way of a competition in conjunction with TV3's "Exposé". I am a fan of TV3's "Exposé" and I am a fan of An Post, but I question the timing of it. The advertisement encourages people to shop on UK websites, enter a competition and have the chance of winning a sterling currency card from An Post. Five people could win £500 sterling in cards. An Post is a State company. At this time of year, State agencies and all of us should be trying to look at what we can do for our local economy. I believe this flies in the face of that. I understand that An Post is in very difficult financial times. I understand that this initiative is to enable An Post to compete with couriers and try to reclaim some business. If people are shopping on UK websites, they might not have a UK address and therefore cannot shop.

We all like to see our hometowns and villages looking Christmassy. The people who are making sure that the lights are put up are the local businesspeople, in conjunction with the councils and local development groups. They are the people who sponsor the local football kit, who sponsor the local festivals and who give part-time jobs to people's sons and daughters. As I said, I know the difficulties of An Post but I do not think its timing is right. I also question TV3's part in it at this time of year. I think it may be slightly unpatriotic. We could all examine and look at what is around us in local shops by checking them out. Of course, we are all free to shop where we want. It is our money. However, perhaps that would give the extra boost that would help our local shops and high streets to continue in business.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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As part of poison awareness day, I call on detergent companies to ban liquid detergent tablets. Half of the calls to the poison centre, which takes 10,000 calls a year, are about children swallowing liquid detergent tablets. Since 2011 in Ireland alone, there have been more than 700 children who have had serious problems after swallowing liquid detergent tablets. I call on the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to immediately engage with these multinationals to put a plan in place to scrap and ban liquid detergent tablets. I would appreciate if the Leader could talk to the relevant Minister. I believe it is an urgent enough matter. It is a simple measure that we could take. Our children, who evidently do not have the sense to know any different, should not be exposed to these risks.

Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the hour of coding being run by many schools around the country and in 180 countries worldwide in which children have the opportunity to participate in coding and programming. Of course, one hour is not going to change the world, but it brings to the fore the need for urgent action to integrate programming and coding into the learning lives of our young people and, indeed, our not so young people. If we are to genuinely and earnestly prepare our young people for the reality of the 21st century workplace, coding and programming must become as commonplace as breathing. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, into the House again to have a full debate on the integration of technology in our education system. In particular, I would like him to update us on his progress in tackling the ICT deficits affecting primary and secondary school coverage, including replacement of computer hardware, curriculum recognition and broadband connectivity, as well as updating us on the timeline for the full implementation of the computer programme developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in collaboration with Lero, the Irish software engineering research centre, in 2013.

To leave coding and programming as an optional extra is doing an injustice to our children. The Minister's background in enterprise makes him acutely aware of the urgency for computer science to be offered to leaving certificate students. We are already decades behind in affording our young people equality of opportunity when it comes to employment in which ICT skills are required. Given the uncertainty and volatility in the national, EU and worldwide economy brought about by the fragility of the banking system, Brexit and moves to address the use of corporation tax as a main element of competitiveness, it is imperative that we truly prepare the workforce of the future for the digital world.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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In any discussion on the cost of drugs, we need to look at the overall picture of what they cost in this country. Last year, drugs and pharmaceuticals cost us €2.6 billion. That figure has consistently gone up. Despite making agreements with pharmaceutical companies on lowering the cost of drugs, we are still spending more per capitathan any other country. Senator Daly was going on about no action being taken. I think he must have forgotten that his party was in power for 14 years. On the issue of transplants, there was a recommendation-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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It is like this. They were here-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Daly-----

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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There was a recommendation-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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-----organ donor recommendation-----

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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There was a recommendation-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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-----was signed on the last day.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Please resume your seat, Senator Daly.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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There was a recommendation-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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It has been described as costing people's lives.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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There was a recommendation-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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If the Senator wants to go on about organ donation, he must start with himself.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am suspending the House for ten minutes.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Burke has about one minute left.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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To return to the drugs issue, it is important that we have an honest debate on it. We are paying out €2.6 billion on drugs and pharmaceuticals per annum. In the period from 2000 to 2010, the cost of pharmaceuticals went from €570 million to over €2 billion. It was as though we were writing blank cheques. If we want to have a debate on this issue, let us have an overall debate about why it is costing more per head of population for drugs and pharmaceuticals than in any other European country.

On the organ donation issue, we need to compare ourselves with Norway. There are about 2,000 people on dialysis in this country now. There are only about 370 people on dialysis in Norway at any one time. That is because of the policy it implemented in the late 1990s and early 2000s of employing the necessary number of consultants. We can talk about organ donation all day but we have to have the necessary people there to do the work. That is where the fundamental problem arose in the last 15 years. We have not been able to recruit the people. We deliberately missed out. When we had money to do it, we did not recruit them between 2000 and 2010 and that is what we now need to focus on. If we want to bring down the number of people on dialysis, we need the experts to do the work. That is what should be the priority. Let us have a debate on that and on the cost of pharmaceuticals in this country.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I share Senator Daly's concern regarding the Orkambi situation. I saw "Claire Byrne Live" last Monday night and all contributors, including taxpayers, doctors, and people waiting to get Orkambi, were very measured and very concerned. I saw a tweet from the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, at 5 a.m. While one might ask what he was doing at 5 a.m., the Minister was at the airport on his way to meet his European colleagues in Lisbon to discuss the Orkambi situation. We can try to address this across parties and across borders. However, Vertex, the company that produces Orkambi, is holding patients and the Government to ransom and we can try to get a solution.

I share Senator O'Mahony's concerns on the buses. The situation in the west of Ireland has been raised with me by a number of people. There is an issue with the bus from Ballyhaunis through Castlerea to Dublin. We need to bring the Minister into the House to have a debate on the current situation regarding Bus Éireann.

I praise the Garda for arresting four men over the kidnapping of the fastest dog in Ireland, Clares Rocket.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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A Limerick dog.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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It is a Limerick dog and one that has won huge prizes and is seemingly worth over €1 million. It shows the complexities of crime in our country when the Garda must arrest four men with guns over the kidnap of a dog. It sounds like something out of a comic strip. I praise the gardaí and all concerned in ensuring this was stopped.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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Will the Leader consider asking either the Taoiseach or Tánaiste, whichever feels so inclined, to come before us and explain how it is that the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross, who has just been mentioned in a different context, is permitted to write articles in newspapers so charged with inaccuracy and misleading content, as he has done this morning in today's edition of The Irish Times? He has yet again suggested that somehow, the Judiciary is against reform. That flies in the face of the fact that the current Chief Justice authored the Bill which provided for a judicial council to be established. It also flies in the face of the fact that members of the Judiciary have on many occasions asked for reforms to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board and that has not been granted to it. It is serious because the Minister, Deputy Ross, is the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. With the buses about to evaporate across Ireland and with train lines being closed down, not to mention some of the sporting debacles in Brazil, it seems the Minister is finding it very difficult to discharge his own functions. It also appears he cannot even make appointments in his own Department to semi-State boards but the one thing he is apparently absolutely concerned with is the making of judicial appointments. The House should know, because eventually some legislation will come before us, that in 2013 he proposed that the committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas should make nominations for people to be judges. He said that would stop cronyism. How ignorant and crass is that as a suggestion?

David Norris (Independent)
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He has only a distant connection with the truth.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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The other point is that he has on many occasions suggested that the appointment of judges is a matter of political cronyism. I held the position of Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2002 to 2007 and the late Rory Brady was the Attorney General at the time. I am absolutely satisfied that if one looks at the appointments we made to the superior courts of Ireland, the great majority of them were not supporters of either of the Government parties.It is about time that the Houses of the Oireachtas showed that a Minister who is not doing his job, and who is failing badly to carry out his functions by leaving semi-State boards without appointees because of his own inadequacy and weakness, allows the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Attorney General to be the point of contact with the Judiciary. The suggestions in the kind of disgraceful article that is in The Irish Timestoday, talking about the Chief Justice being first out of the traps to rubbish the Minister's views, are completely untrue, and to call intemperate the remarks of the President of the Circuit Court, who appealed recently for vacancies in his court to be filled in order that he could carry out the laws which these Houses put in place, is a cheek on the part of the Minister, Deputy Ross. I ask that the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste would come to the House to tell us when they will muzzle their dog.

David Norris (Independent)
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As they did the greyhound.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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Can I say a word?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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No. Twenty minutes ago Senator Feighan was the last and others were let in.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I wanted to make the point that Senator McDowell is quite right about those eminent appointments.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator McDowell has made the point well. The Leader to respond.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank the 15 Senators who contributed to the Order of Business today. On Senator Mark Daly's amendment to the Order of Business, the Orkambi issue is being discussed tomorrow in the House because the Minister for Health, as we speak, is in Lisbon meeting his EU counterparts in health to discuss, amongst other matters, the issue of Orkambi. I hope that the Senator, rather than divide the House, will withdraw his amendment. The matter has been put on the Order Paper for tomorrow at the request of Senator Daly's party leader last week and new politics is at work. If the Senator can withdraw his amendment, we will even see better politics.

Senator Daly is correct about organ donation. There is a need for a gargantuan change in how we look at organ donation. That is why Government, and the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, in the previous Government was working on legislation around the opt-out system. That is why the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, of which I was Chair, worked on the issue of organ donation. I appreciate that Senator Daly has as a nominating body the Irish Kidney Association and he is representing it in the House today. He is right to put that issue on the agenda because it is an important issue, not least to those who are on dialysis and awaiting organ donation and their families. It requires a sea change of opinion right across the board. Senator Colm Burke is correct. There was a missed opportunity for a decade where we did nothing, but now we must move forward and put that right.

I refer to the issue of Orkambi which was raised by Senators Daly and Feighan. This morning I met representatives of the drugs company in question who have been meeting Members in Leinster House during the course of yesterday and today. It is important that both Vertex and the HSE, which negotiates on behalf of Government - the Government does not negotiate directly - engage meaningfully. I understand there have been six meetings in the past five months. We are talking here about people's lives and their quality of life. There must be an engagement and a willingness by both Vertex and the HSE to enter into negotiations that can present workable proposals which can benefit those who need this much-needed drug to improve their quality of life. I would hope, as a result of tomorrow afternoon's statements, the Minister for Health being in Lisbon today and the traction the issue has got in the media in recent days and weeks, that we can see movement.

I must admit I expected a different outcome to my discussion this morning with the representatives of Vertex. For what it is worth, I found them to be willing to engage and prepared to go to the table. I would hope that all sides can come to the table and that we can see the quality of lives of people improve. Tomorrow afternoon we will have a debate in the House, with statements on the issue for an hour, in order that we represent the people's views and see if we can bring a resolution to the matter.

Senator Craughwell also referred to this issue, and I am sorry I missed that. I thank the Senator for the remarks he made regarding the Independent News and Media amendment of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar.

Senators Gavan, O'Mahony, Feighan and Ó Donnghaile raised the issue of transport and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross. I would be happy to have the Minister come back to the House to discuss the matter. The issue of Bus Éireann is an important one. It is one we need to see resolved in the context of the provision of routes for people from both rural and urban areas. It transcends the urban-rural divide. The Minister has a duty to represent the taxpayer, which he is doing in terms of Bus Éireann in highlighting there is loss-making or a potential crisis emanating. Equally, it is important that the Minister comes to the House to outline his plans in this regard.

I agree with Senator Ó Donnghaile. As a former Chair of an Oireachtas committee, I am conscious that there was significant benefit in us engaging with our colleagues in Stormont in the Northern Ireland Assembly and equally in the North-South Ministerial Council meetings. It is by working together that we can improve connectivity and we can improve the outcomes for people, whether it is in health, which I had the pleasure of doing in the previous Oireachtas, or elsewhere. It is important that we work on that and I would be certainly happy to have the Minister come to the House.

I thank Senator Humphreys for his remarks regarding today's statements on climate action and low carbon development. I hope that it is the first of a rolling series of statements on this because this is an important issue that will not go away and we have responsibilities we must honour, irrespective of who is in government.

Senator Gallagher raised the important topic of the Missing Persons Day. I thank the groups which are highlighting what is an absolute tragedy and heart-breaking situation for many families who are, literally, at every phone call or turn at the door, expecting or hoping it is their loved one coming back. I commend the Senator on raising the matter in the House. I certainly would be happy to ask the relevant Minister for funding for the missing persons helpline.

Senator Maria Byrne raised the matter of Shannon-Cork flights. As a representative from the Cork region, I welcome the Norwegian Air decision to commence flights between Cork and Boston. I am sure the Cathaoirleach will join me in that. It is an important development for Cork and one that will open up the region and be of considerable benefit. I welcome the new jobs in Limerick today as well.

Senator Devine raised the matter of the fine on Pfizer. While the company refuted that this morning in a statement and it is a matter that is the subject of an ongoing appeal, it is one of which we need to keep abreast. Senator Colm Burke raised the issue of the cost of drugs. We have an agreement on the price reduction of drugs in many cases. While the cost of a basket of drugs has come down in recent years, I accept we have a long way to go. In regard to the issue of dampness and housing funding, I will ask the Minister to come to the House on the matter.

Senator Mulherin rightly raised the matter of Small Business Saturday last weekend. I hope our small local businesses can be supported. Equally, she raised the matter of both An Post and the AddressPal card. It is worrying that one would have An Post advertising through a UK linkage when one can have the same value for money through small and medium enterprises and businesses in our own local towns. It would be far better for An Post to engage in a strategic plan with local initiatives or businesses in order that they can develop a plan to stay relevant and to be focused in their own small local towns. I hope they can do that in the future. Senator Mulherin is correct. I will happily have the Minister, Deputy Naughten, come to the House.

Senator Davitt raised the issue of poison awareness day and liquid detergent tablets. He highlighted that 700 children a year are affected by taking such tablets. I would be happy to have the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, or the Minister for Health come to the House.

Senator Conway-Walsh raised the issue of coding. I am glad the Senator welcomes the Action Plan for Education which the Minister, Deputy Bruton, was in the House recently to discuss. I commend the former Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, who did a significant amount of work around coding, and Deputy Bruton in terms of putting it on the curriculum. I would be happy to have the Minister come back to the House with an update on the issue of coding.

Senator Colm Burke raised the issue of the cost of a drugs basket and also organ donation, which I have touched upon.

Senator Mark Daly praised the Garda for its involvement in the location of Clares Rocket. I am pleased the greyhound was found. It is a source of concern that people can think, for whatever reason, they can apprehend a greyhound, a horse or a person for the sake of whatever. It is important we recognise that the Garda does a considerable amount of work in communities and its members put themselves at risk. I commend them on their work.

Senator Daly also referred to the issue of Orkambi.The drugs company would be better employed if it went on the public airwaves and explained the position rather than hide behind a press statement. All of us are getting e-mails and telephone calls from patients and their family members, and we want to see all of them have a better outcome.

Senator McDowell referred to the article today in The Irish Times. I have not seen the article. The Senator has the right of reply to The Irish Times. He can put pen to paper to the editor, which he is very good at doing.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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Do not worry. I will get around to it.

David Norris (Independent)
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I sent a letter in this very morning.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I saw it, yes. I commend Senator Norris on his very fine letter defending the Seanad. To be serious, we have been very well served by the members of our Judiciary.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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They are independent, and their willingness to judge and impart their decisions has been fair and balanced. It has always been about the case in question, not their own viewpoint or whatever.

Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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Absolutely.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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It is important that we have a period of calm and do not engage in hyperbole. We must not transcend the line between the Executive and the Judiciary, which must remain clear. The programme for Government is committed to making significant reforms in the process of judicial appointments but my personal view is that the Chief Justice should play a role in that. It is important that we allow for an input into the changing of that process. I would not like people to have the viewpoint that members of the Judiciary are appointed on the basis of political cronyism or whatever. My experience is that they are appointed based on their experience, expertise and competency, and we should not engage in a war with them over that. I hope we will see that process undertaken in the new year.

With regard to the amendment to the Order of Business, I hope the Senator will withdraw the amendment because we will have the debate tomorrow afternoon.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Mark Daly has moved an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 27, motion No. 12, be taken today." Is the amendment being pressed?

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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No. I withdraw the amendment.