Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I welcome the fact that the lawyers re-engaged last night because the news last week was that they had disengaged. I hope that process will find a resolution to the problem.

Will the Minister say whether she and the HSE are willing to accept a neutral chairperson to address this issue, as has been proposed? Specific eminent people were proposed by the pharmacists. She said she was consulting the Attorney General. Is that in relation to the interpretation of the Competition Act? If so, will she be willing to accept consideration of the Labour Party's amendment to the Competition Act in Government time? She will have plenty of time tomorrow because there is no legislation on the Order Paper. Will she consider debating that amendment as a possible step towards resolution of the dispute?

The import of what wholesalers are saying to pharmacists appears to be different from what they are telling the Department of Health and Children and the HSE. The Joint Committee on Health and Children heard last week that pharmacists were being told that wholesalers are not going to bring prices down to what will be paid to them if the new arrangements are introduced. Is the Minister aware of different reports about what precisely the wholesalers might do.

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