I am informed by the parents of children with muscle-wasting conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy that the HSE leadership management team will meet on 14 February and, it is hoped, come to a final decision regarding the orphan drug Spinraza. It is a very difficult situation for the parents concerned. As the Taoiseach is aware, approximately 20 European countries have approved the drug. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration approved it for young children with this very rare condition. Many parents have pointed out the expense incurred by intensive care units and that children with illnesses such as cancer are not refused chemotherapy. Some 25 children in this country would benefit from the medication. The negotiations are ongoing.

Every week is precious to those children in terms of how this drug can improve their capacity to deal with this condition. I would appreciate it if the Taoiseach could indicate when a decision will be made on this.

I am afraid I do not have any information on that. It is an independent process, as the House will be aware. I am aware that last year 29 new medicines were approved using this process. Obviously, what has to be considered in all cases is the efficacy of the medicine and whether the price being charged by the company is fair given all the other demands for funding in the health service. About 29 medicines were approved last year and I am sure that, if the case stacks up, a similar number will be approved this year.

In advance of another session of questions with the Minister for Health, could we have copies of all the minutes from the committees that were referred to in the documentation that was issued to us only this morning? Before the Taoiseach starts handing out advice on what questions we should ask, he should first ensure we have all the relevant minutes and documentation. What we have seen in the documentation released only this morning is that there were at least five committees, or substructures, involved as part of this project on which we have no information. We are specifically looking for that information along with any minutes from the small board working group. Could the Taoiseach give a commitment that we will have that information? We have been given commitments before but, as is the style of this Government, information is drip-fed to us, and very often to the media first.

I am unfamiliar with the documents the Deputy has referred to. I ask Deputies to be fair in this regard. The Minister is not a member of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. He is not a member of any of those committees. It is not reasonable to expect him to account for documents that he did not see and minutes of meetings he never attended.

That is an outrageous suggestion.

Nobody can be held to that level of accountability. That is not fair.

We just want the minutes.