John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for leading by example. I will be exactly that - brief and to the point.

I have just come from a briefing from the IPU. I note that the Minister works well with that organisation. For an organisation, it is non-adversarial and non-confrontational and sometimes it might deserve to make more progress for adopting that approach than other organisations that have a different attitude and might get farther because of the noise they make.

On the minor ailment roll-out, the pilot scheme has been successful. I must declare an interest because I am a practising pharmacist, as is Deputy O'Connell. We need to get that rolled out. There are 2,000 pharmacists ready, willing and able to help and who want to do it. It would be a major benefit to the health system to get that rolled out and to make progress on it immediately. Will the Minister put a timeline on that?

As a profession, we are the last group on which there has been no progress on reversal of the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI. The Minister has made a commitment in that regard. We would like to see progress because we deserve it. We are willing to work with the Minister.

On progressing the profession, a new contract is needed, as was the case with the GP profession, and progress was to be made on that. The Minister will find a willing partner in rolling out a new contract to develop the service to embellish what we can add to the health service. The Minister will find us more than willing to work co-operatively with him in that regard. I highlight those three issues in the hope we can make progress on them.