Before this session I went for a walk and as I walked into town with Vera Twomey and her army of supporters, there were construction workers on scaffolds who stopped to applaud them, cars that honked and women on the streets with shopping bags who came out to shake her hand. My question for the Taoiseach is this. When will we have progress on the AAA-PBP Bill to legalise medicinal cannabis? It passed its Second Stage in this House before Christmas but I understand it is not due to be discussed on Committee Stage until 5 April, nearly a month away. Given the urgency of the issues at stake, is the Taoiseach willing to intervene to assist in bringing that date forward?

This is a matter for the determination of the agenda of the Dáil and I do not have any control over that. As the Deputy is aware, the Business Committee does its job. I want to make it very clear that if we introduce a Bill and it becomes law, the requirement, even in compassionate circumstances, is that there be a prescription in cases like this of there being a paediatric neurosurgeon available. Whether it is done on compassionate grounds or on legal grounds, that is required. When Deputy Barry is on his walk, if he goes into a pharmacy and looks for something he does not have a prescription for, he will not get it unless it is freely available to everybody else. This applies in the case of serious issues like those affecting this young child, who has serious challenges. That is the process.