Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I ask the Leader to give this pack to the Minister on my behalf and especially to ask him to engage with the Union of Students in Ireland because the students are the key stakeholders - they are adults. We need to have a debate on this matter, but I do not know that we will have it before the summer recess. This must be prioritised for our first week back in September.

It is unforgivable on a number of fronts that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, is again not engaging with the Irish Pharmaceutical Union. The first point is the loss of jobs in the pharmacy industry. The Minister seeks 34% income cuts from pharmacies. If the 1,100 pharmacies pull out by 1 August it will mean a loss of 5,000 of the 16,000 jobs in the pharmacy industry. This is not the way to go at this time. It will risk patient safety. If we must return to central dispensing it will threaten drug dispensing. Drugs not properly dispensed are poisons. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister, Deputy Harney, to engage immediately with the pharmaceutical industry. She failed last time. Maybe she is a little vindictive on this, but this is not the way to go. We need to be more conciliatory in our approach and listen to those who can come up with the cuts.