Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, this is an ongoing issue that has been running for a few years now. It relates to the professional qualifications of pharmacy assistants who are not pharmacists but who have played a very valuable role down the years in filling in for pharmacists during their absence. Ultimately, however, it is a matter for the professional regulatory body rather than the Government. The professional regulatory body needs to make sure it puts patient safety first in coming to any decision on this.

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