Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Representatives of the Irish Medicines Board appeared before the Joint Committee on Health and Children on previous occasions discussing many issues in the context of prescription-only medicines and the changing of medicines from prescription-only to over-the-counter. Without being critical of an organisation that is not present to defend or represent itself, urgency may not be a word given high priority in the Irish Medicines Board in general. While the Bill states that the board shall, as soon as practicable, after the commencement of this section establish and publish on its Internet website and maintain a list, what obligation is on the board to advance this urgency? It may have difficulties in terms of staffing arrangements and practical issues about whether enough support is being given to the Irish Medicines Board to adjudicate on what is interchangeable, to carry out a critical analysis and to be obliged at some stage to put it on its website. Clearly this is an issue that will revolve around the practical implications of the Irish Medicines Board being able to move fairly swiftly to publish the list. At the end of the day this is about providing a safe system to people but equally to benefit taxpayers by way of savings. That is the only issue on which I seek clarification before agreeing to the section.