In 2014, the then Minister of State at the Department of Health, former Deputy Alex White, signed into regulation the use of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine for patients with multiple sclerosis, MS. The drug is not yet available on prescription or under the drug purchase scheme. Nobody who needs Sativex in Ireland can get it. If the Taoiseach has the time, and I will question him next week in this regard, he should look at a report broadcast by RTÉ in December on Paddy Doyle, an author who has MS and cannot get a prescription for Sativex.

This issue also throws into question the cannabis action programme for which the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, has set out guidelines. The Minister has referred to the guidelines on numerous occasions in the House but there are no guidelines and no programme. When will the guidelines be published? People are waiting for the programme to get up and running.

I will follow up in regard to Sativex and directly revert to Deputy Kenny.

As regards access to cannabis, I have now signed five licences to provide patients in this country------

Five licences.

Yes, I signed another last week. Every valid licence application I have received has been signed and processed in an efficient manner.

As regards the compassionate access programme, Deputy Kenny is correct that there has been great progress in the clinical guidelines now being drawn up. However, the issue is now to try to source a product------

There are no guidelines. I have been told by a very good source that there are no guidelines.

I also have a very good source in the Department of Health and I have the guidelines-------

I have been told by a very good source that there are no guidelines.

I have the guidelines and great work has been done by the clinical expert group that I set up to put in place a compassionate access programme. However, guidelines are only of use if we can access products and my Department is currently working on how we can access an appropriate product to the benefit of Irish patients.