Seanad debates

Wednesday, 6 February 2008

2:30 pm

Photo of Paul CoghlanPaul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I strongly support Senator Fitzgerald in her remarks on pharmacists. I attended a huge meeting in Kerry recently on this matter. It is patently obvious that the Health Service Executive is welshing on an agreement that is in place whereby a senior counsel was appointed to liaise and make recommendations in this regard. Now it is trying to get the pharmacists to sign individual contracts outside of and in advance of the completion of that process. It is jumping the gun.

As we stated in the House last week, small independent pharmacists are under great threat. I know the Leader agrees with me on this matter and I look forward to his remarks on it. The serious question at this juncture is what position the Minister for Health and Children is taking. She needs to assert herself strongly and forcefully on this issue.

Last week, the Leader, in a well-meaning response to a query from me, read from a list of Bills that are to be published this session. With respect, we do not know how many of them, if any, will be initiated in this House. Amazingly, in that list the Leader did not mention a measure designed to give legislative effect to the findings of the Constituency Commission report on the new Dáil constituencies.

We are aware the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has already set in train local electoral area boundary committees. They are to report to him by 20 June 2008. As I understand it, their terms of reference require those local electoral area boundary committees to respect constituency boundaries. I am sure the Cathaoirleach is so aware as well.

In the absence of a measure to give legislative effect to the commission chaired by Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill, which constituency boundaries will it have to pay attention to in the review which is in train? No legislation is promised. Is the Government waiting for another constituency review before the next general election? Something is amiss here and I look forward to hearing the Leader, given his knowledge, clarifying the matter.

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