Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I congratulate Deputy Higgins on bringing forward this Private Members' Bill which is timely. It raises fundamental questions about the Competition Act, which will have to be revisited.

One issue to which the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, referred yesterday was the fact the Competition Authority took a view that self-employed actors and freelance journalists were undertakings within the meaning of the Competition Act. I understand this decision was more or less forced on SIPTU under the threat that its offices would be visited by the Competition Authority and that SIPTU is not in agreement with this definition. I understand several rulings of the Labour Court upheld this decision. The Minister of State responsible for this area should clarify what the Minister of State said yesterday.

As one involved in some documentary-making, I can understand the relevance of having set charges. When one is calculating the budget for a documentary, the exact costs would be known rather than one having to negotiate separately with individuals. I can see merit in a consideration of this part of the Competition Act.

In the short time available to me, I wish to refer to the problem faced by pharmacists throughout the length and breadth of the country. From discussions I have had with a number of pharmacists in my constituency, it is definite that pharmacies will close if the HSE position is not changed. Pharmacists are quite open about revealing their account books and showing that if matters change to their disadvantage, staff will lose their jobs, pharmacies will close and pharmacists will seek employment in bigger pharmacy units. It is important that this matter is resolved.

As pointed out yesterday, the union is prepared to go to the table without any preconditions or predetermined outcomes, and it hopes that the HSE would do likewise. I call on the HSE to agree to this. The union has proposed that talks on a new pharmacy contract under an independent chairperson should commence immediately. The purpose of these talks would be to reach agreement on all aspects of the contract, including an appropriate pricing structure for the delivery of pharmacy services. This had previously been agreed with the HSE at a meeting in November.

When agreement is reached on an appropriate pricing structure, the matter could then be referred to the proposed new arbitration system, which the Minister for Health and Children referred to in the Dáil on 21 November. It is hoped that such a body or system will provide an independent and fair assessment of all the issues involved and could then make recommendations to the HSE on pharmacists' remuneration.

There is no indication that the HSE is prepared to proceed on this basis. This affects not only the pharmacists in question, but also those who depend on pharmacists for vital services. If the medical card scheme becomes unviable, what will happen to all those dependent on medicines dispensed by pharmacists?

The amount of money pharmacists are getting is minuscule when compared to the overall health budget, but their role is vital given that many pharmacists operate in place of a doctor, and a good pharmacist can be very much part of primary health care. If we lose this expertise in many parts of rural and urban Ireland, where there is a great dependency on medical cards, the whole system will be affected.

This matter must be resolved as soon as possible. The union has been more than accommodating in the effort to find a solution.

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