The Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 is currently before the Dáil. It is a Private Members Bill sponsored by Deputy Gino Kenny.

The Joint Committee on Health carried out pre-legislative scrutiny on the Bill and came to the unanimous decision that it should not proceed due to fundamental flaws in it. The committee's report was debated in the Dáil on 9 November and the Government chose to reject it, although it had been unanimously agreed by all members of the committee, including Fine Gael members. In his summing up in the debate, the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, said he would not recommend that the report would be accepted by the Dáil, although he conceded that the Bill was fundamentally flawed. In fact, he recommended that the Bill should be redrafted rather than amended. The decision to disregard the committee's recommendation must have had the approval of the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach. I believe this has set a precedent for other committees that recommend Private Member's Bills should not proceed. Why did the Taoiseach adopt this stance, which effectively undermined the position of the committee as well as the Fine Gael members on the committee?

It did not have my approval. I did not find out about it until later that day or the day after. I cannot remember exactly when. However, there was no consultation with me on it at all. When I heard what had occurred, I was not happy. I felt Deputy Harty, as Chairman, was put in the invidious position of defending a report that had been agreed not only by the Government parties but, I think, by the main opposition party, only to have it unwind itself on the floor of the Dáil. I do not think that is the way for us to conduct our business and have advised Ministers that I do not want it to ever happen again.

The Taoiseach got no email.