Leave given for introduction of Bill on access to cancer treatment

SEANAD REPORT:LEAVE HAS been given for the introduction of the Access to Cancer Treatment Bill 2012.

The bill, in the names of Marc MacSharry and Darragh O’Brien of Fianna Fáil and John Crown (Ind), aims to ensure the provision by the Health Services Executive of all prescribed medicinal products necessary for the treatment of cancer in line with best practice and upon approval of the European Medicines Agency.

Seeking information on the status of proposals for the introduction of gay marriage, David Norris (Ind) said Minister for Justice Alan Shatter had made it clear that this was something he was bringing urgently to Cabinet. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore had indicated strong support for it. “If I am correct, the Taoiseach has suggested tossing it into the constitutional review committee, which seems to be a kind of dustbin.”

Questions had been raised about the constitutionality of gay marriage, Mr Norris added. Teaglach, the word used for family in the Irish version of the Constitution, which took precedence over the English version, translated as a household community. Gay people living together constituted a household community, so the question was whether it was a violation of the Constitution to deny making gay marriage legally available.

Mr Norris said he had not received a reply from the leader of the House, Maurice Cummins, in relation to questions posed about comments attributed to the deputy Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Ms Nurit Tinari Modai, as to how Israeli activists supporting Palestinian human rights should be treated. Mr Cummins said he had passed Mr Norris’s correspondence to the Tánaiste but had not received a response.