Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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731. To ask the Minister for Health the status of his Department's bid for the European Medicines Agency relocation from London to Ireland; the meetings which have been held in this regard with the EU Commission; if he has established a task force to lead the re-location bid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27335/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The European Medicines Agency plays a very important role in the protection and promotion of public health through the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines for human and veterinary use in the European Union. It is globally recognised as operating to the highest standards of excellence in these areas.

As a consequence of Brexit it appears inevitable that the EMA will need to be relocated from London to another EU location and it is imperative that this change is managed in a way that ensures that there is minimal impact on the vital work of the EMA during the transition period and beyond.

The Department of Health is working with other Government Departments and State Agencies, including the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to prepare a bid to relocate the European Medicines Agency to Dublin.

I believe that Dublin would be a very suitable location and that a move here would crucially minimise the disruption to the business of the EMA, providing a better option for sustainability of its current standards of excellence and thus ensuring continued protection of EU citizens and providing reassurance to the industries which it regulates.