A number of medical card holders have complained to me and have expressed concern about medicines, which they will be taking for life, being unavailable in their chemist. I understand there is an issue around that. I ask the Taoiseach to clarify that for me. There is evidence that some medicines dealing with HRT right up through to asthma are being shared on social media or people are trying to source them on social media. I also ask the Taoiseach to clarify the funding for high-tech drugs. Where people are on these drugs, will the funding for these drugs continue to be provided?

I will need to double-check on the high-tech drugs. My understanding is that anybody who is receiving them will continue to do so. I will double-check on that. We have a serious issue with medicine shortages across the world at the moment; production just has not kept up with demand. It is not unique to Ireland; it is very much a European and international problem. It has always been a bit of a problem but I have never seen it this bad. The industry needs to ramp up production. In almost all cases, it can be resolved. It might mean using a different brand than people are used to or different doses. In almost all cases a solution can be found. However, it needs doctors and pharmacists working together and reassuring patients that the different dose, different frequency or the different brand is still the same active medicine.