We are.

Bring it on.

Bring it on.

Muireann Kavanagh is a 14-year-old girl. She lives on Arranmore Island off the coast of Donegal. Her father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all fishermen. Muireann also fishes. She catches pollock with a hook and line, the method of fishing with the lowest impact. She wants a future on the island but she has been banned from fishing for pollock. While Muireann is told by the Government that what she was doing is now illegal, she watches from her bedroom window and sees what look like small cities. These are…

It is not completely closed.

On a point of order-----

It is a genuine point of order.

There is when somebody calls into question one's honesty.

The super-trawlers are allowed to fish the stock as by-product.

The super-trawlers are allowed to do it.

Every day, dedicated healthcare staff do their best to serve patients in their communities, but we can all agree that our health system is under increased pressure and unprecedented strain. This includes local services that are facing workforce shortages and infrastructure deficits. These problems are not isolated or contained. A lack of alternative and primary care options in our communities feeds through the entire healthcare system. It adds pressure to the emergency departments in our hospitals and ultimately le…

I begin today by extending my and Sinn Féin's deepest sympathies to the family of Saoírse Ruane. She inspired all of us in this House. She also inspired the toy show appeal. She inspired all of us right throughout the State in her battle with her illness. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. I am thinking of all her friends and colleagues and, especially, her family today. Before the referendums tomorrow, I also make a final appeal to voters to come out and vote. We see the proposed changes as small steps forward and, on …

We are talking about life-changing drugs that can save the lives of people with rare diseases and cancer. There is great frustration. Will the Tánaiste ensure multiannual funding is allocated to provide a clear and predictable budget for the HSE to manage a continuous supply of new medicines? Will he also ensure the issue of staff capacity is addressed? It was pointed out to the Government last year and it has still not done anything about it. The staffing level has not been increased.

People in my constituency and that of the Tánaiste are waiting over two years for drugs to be approved. If people have private healthcare, however, they can get them straight away.

The Tánaiste talks about frustration. I mentioned that there must always be balance and consideration. The approval of a new drug is supposed to take 180 days. The Tánaiste talked about people with rare diseases and cancer patients. We are at the bottom of the list in Europe for accessing these drugs. All through the term of this Government that has been the situation. Irish people are likely to be one of the last in the line to access these drugs, which are being produced in the main in Ireland, in some cases down…

However, throughout the term of the Government we have been the laggard in Europe in processing and approving drugs that can save lives for public patients.

That is not acceptable.

I said the Government had been forced to do a U-turn.

So, we are not at the bottom of the table.

The Tánaiste is missing the point that we are one of the slowest. Perhaps he is not missing the point but is ignoring it.