Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I completely agree with the Senator that the crisis is now. We must address it now. There is a role for the PSI in stepping forward and we should not let the target of the end of 2022 for that process to be completed be the goal. The goal can be now and the organisation can address the matters identified by the Senator. There is also the opportunity to engage with a workforce coming this way and we should have the criteria to assess qualifications so we can have the opportunity to engage persons who want to work with us. We must consider that now and not in six months. If we do not address the problem now, there will be pharmacies closing in rural Ireland when we need that vital and essential service.