Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their kind words. To address Senator Bacik's points, I worked closely with pharmaceutical assistants in Waterford.I am very aware of what the Senator is speaking about. I recognise that in years to come, many of these pharmaceutical assistants will retire, as the last one came into this profession in 1986. One of the first questions I asked my officials this morning was where we were on this situation. Many pharmacies have found circumstances challenging in the past six months and pharmaceutical assistants play a huge role there, especially in rural pharmacies where only one pharmacist might be on duty. They could not operate without pharmaceutical assistants, so I am delighted that the Minister accepted Senator Bacik's amendment. I will speak to him about enforcing it as soon as possible.