Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

When the Minister for Health and Children comes into the House next week she should give clear answers on what is happening with community pharmacists. Some people have already mentioned in this House that the Minister has said that €1 billion worth of drugs costs €650 million to dispense to patients. Those figures seem ridiculous and the Minister needs to break them down and outline from where she got them. It does not stand up to scrutiny that it would take €650 million to dispense €1 billion worth of drugs. The problem is that the pharmacists are billing the State for the discounts they are receiving from the wholesalers. It is the big chains that get these big discounts, not the small community pharmacists with which most of us are used to dealing. There is a need for a clear answer to that debate.