Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I have come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children where the Government members voted against an Opposition motion calling for the appointment of an independent arbitrator in the pharmacy dispute. The motion stated no changes should be made to the contract before independent arbitration takes place. I raise this issue because Fianna Fáil Members are supporting those calls at meetings throughout the country despite voting against the motion this morning.

As my colleagues have noted, Deputy O'Rourke has spoken about the Department of Education and Science's lingering animosity to applied behavioural analysis. Who is responsible for running the country? If the Department has a lingering animosity, what is the Government doing to change its attitude? Last week, when I raised the issue of costs for the Ó Cuanacháin family, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food stated the only reason the Department of Education and Science takes these cases to the High Court is because they disagree with Government policy. Who is developing the policy and who is governing?

Similar questions arise in respect of the Health Service Executive and that is why I repeat the demand I made yesterday for the Minister for Health and Science to come to the House to outline Government policy on the pharmacy dispute. I also ask the Minister for Education and Science to outline for the House the Government's policy on ABA rather than blame her Department.