Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

The Deputy is right. It is always a milestone moment in relation to the consideration of any new medicine for Irish patients when the NCPE produces its report and that has obviously happened. The next step is for the HSE to invite the company to initiate commercial negotiations. Following that step, clinical submissions are considered and so too are patient submissions. That is important so that the voices of the women the Deputy referenced can be heard in this process. Clinical submissions and patient submissions are considered, as well as the outworkings of the commercial negotiation. Ultimately, the HSE drugs group sends its recommendation to the HSE leadership team. That is the process that will be undertaken.
I am very proud of the work we have done together, as a Government, in terms of the free HRT scheme. I think we all are. It is very important that Deputies come to this House and highlight where they believe there is room for improvement or gaps where people cannot qualify. That is separate to the drugs piece, which I am not getting involved in because they are commercial negotiations. We can of course have those broader conversations about how we help all our citizens in the context of the upcoming budget.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23