A number of months ago we had Professor Steve Kerrigan appear before us and address the petitions committee. He brought in people who had suffered with sepsis or had family members who had passed away. There was a deeply moving testimony from a lady called Sinéad O'Reilly who lost her sister-in-law, Sarah.

Professor Kerrigan reminded us that sepsis is on the increase and we are facing more sepsis in sicker and older communities throughout Ireland. There are fewer effective drugs to treat it. Antibiotics, which we have always relied upon and are the cornerstone, are increasingly failing to treat sepsis. It is becoming a big issue for us and it is shaping outcomes. Doctors are increasingly facing infections that do not respond to first-line or even second-line treatments. That is a problem.

I asked Professor Kerrigan to come in to the audiovisual room. He is coming in today to discuss sepsis, why the incidence is rising and how different countries are facing this epidemic, as he would call it. He is bringing Ciaran Staunton with him to join the discussion. Ciaran has been leading the force. He lost his son, Rory, to sepsis. In New York he has driven state-level legislation, which mandates early-recognition protocols and rapid treatment pathways. His experience is both practical and powerful regarding policy and how it can be directly translated into saving lives.

There is going to be a short address today on how sepsis affects us in Ireland and how we can use the EU Presidency to give sepsis a platform. I encourage all of my colleagues and anyone who can to attend the audiovisual room today at 6 p.m. to hear Professor Steve Kerrigan.