I want to raise the issue of Spinraza with the Tánaiste. This is my fourth time raising this issue in the Chamber. Today Grace, an amazing little girl, and her parents came to Leinster House again. They met Deputy Finian McGrath, the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability issues, and by all accounts it was a good meeting. However, we still await a response from the Minister for Health, who has simply sent a holding response. He acknowledged receipt of their letter and that was it. There has been no decision. These parents have been waiting week after week for a decision from the HSE as to whether it and this Government will provide their daughter and the other 24 affected children with the medication they need to live and to have some quality of life. Will the Tánaiste endeavour to get a response to those parents and children? For God's sake, I ask him to ask the Minister for Health to get in touch.

I actually raised this matter with the Minister this morning because I anticipated that somebody would raise it today. Everybody wants to move towards a decision here. The Minister does not make the decision himself. He has to get a recommendation from an ongoing negotiation process. There are two parties to the negotiation. A company is also involved. The State has managed to negotiate a more realistic price for a whole series of products in the last 12 months. This is a medication on which we would obviously like to see progress and we are endeavouring to bring that about, but I am afraid I am not in a position to give the Deputy an exact timeline today.