Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Independent Licensed Merchants Association submitted substantive evidence that Ireland can meet the terms of the derogation of Article 105(4) in its legal opinion, which was immediately made available to the Department. To date, the Department refutes that, defending the fact that it has legal advice to the contrary. Why has the legal advice and the brief to the Council never been shown to stakeholders, their legal representatives or the committee?

The Department has taken three months to study the legal opinion requested by its Minister with no response forthcoming. Do we take that silence as an acceptance or is the Department now prepared to create a prescription category that focuses on the resistance for vets, pharmacists and RPTUs for non-antimicrobial medicines?