Despite the fact that Deputy Gino Kenny's Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill was passed by the House in December with unanimous support and despite the fact that in the past ten days the IMO, the representative organisation for the medical profession in this country, stated medical cannabis should be available on a GP's prescription, not a consultant's, the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, has publicly stated his view that the Bill is no longer necessary and proposed a dramatically restrictive so-called access programme under which access to medicinal cannabis for Vera Twomey's daughter Ava cannot even be given. Vera is now outside Leinster House and planning to stay there because the Minister is trying to subvert the Bill that was passed by the House and stating publicly that he does not intend to support it.

Despite the fact he promised in front of me, Deputies Micheál Martin, Kelleher, Jonathan O'Brien and Gino Kenny, a number of weeks ago that he would meet Vera Twomey two weeks after that meeting, he now refuses to take her phone calls, refuses to respond to her communications and has refused to give her that meeting.

Time us up.

I ask the Minister to explain why this is happening. I ask him to appeal to the Minister, Deputy Harris, to meet Vera Twomey and explain to her why promises made at that meeting were not honoured in order to vindicate the health of her daughter.

I call Deputy Aindrias Moynihan on the same matter.

On the same matter, but on a slightly different aspect, the Minister is proposing his own compassionate access Bill to facilitate people, such as Vera Twomey and many others, getting access. Is it intended to facilitate people who have prescriptions from outside the jurisdiction to bring in medication from outside it and use it in Ireland? Will people be able to travel throughout the EU with their prescriptions if this proposed Bill is passed or is that facility already in place? Can people already bring in medication which may not be recognised in this country?

I understand the Minister has agreed to move away from the very restrictive scheme that was in place, whereby the Minister would have to individually license each prescription made in these cases. He is proposing to introduce a scheme and I understand an expert group has carried out research on the design of such a scheme. At this point, the Minister has not flagged the contents of any Bill.

He has and it is against the advice of the doctors of this country.

As far as I know, in terms of the parliamentary procedure as to whether the Bill is promised legislation which is what are dealing with here, it is not my understanding that specific Bill has been promised. However, the Minister has indicated that he intends to introduce a scheme. The details of that are being worked out.

Compassionate access programme.

Non-compassionate no-access programme.

The approach is that it will be access without the requirement for the Minister to give a licence. It will be based on medical expertise and the need of patients. That is the approach.

The Government is ignoring the doctors.