Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge Deputy Brassil's genuine interest in, and advocacy for, the need to do something on biosimilars. We need to pick up the pace on this and we will take away what he said on that. I assure the Deputy it is a priority for us collectively because, as he said, there is a chance to make significant savings for the health service while also doing the right thing by patients.

On the pharmacy-specific issues, to recap briefly, I addressed the Irish Pharmacy Union annual conference in recent weeks and I also had a very fruitful meeting with the IPU at the Department of Health. We agreed there is definitely scope to do an awful lot more with the minor ailments scheme, very much in line with Sláintecare. I very much see our pharmacists as a potential shopfront in many towns and villages for accessing Sláintecare and for providing services in the community. We have suggested to the IPU that it needs to do a piece of work with the Health Research Board on what that scheme would look like and, crucially, how we record the data in terms of making sure we are seeing the benefits. Nobody wants just to duplicate services and we certainly do not want to pay for the duplication of services. We want to pay for services either in terms of moving them to a more appropriate location or bringing additionality, and the Health Research Board could help with that. The IPU is aware of our position on that.

On contraception, I am aware the IPU is going to make a submission to the working group and we will see where the expert view comes to. It has been very helpful in providing expertise and guidance, for which I am very grateful. In particular, it provided an international perspective on what other countries have done.

As I said at the conference, and I am happy to say it again, on the issue of FEMPI we are happy to begin the process of engaging on contract talks by the end of this year, so we will do that. I also made the point that, sometimes, when one sector sees another sector getting something, it becomes a little misrepresented or there are Chinese whispers. The GPs agreed to do a lot of new and different things in return for sustained increased investment. That is the sort of space we will need to be in collectively, but I think we can have very productive talks, which we will start this year.