Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on correspondence (details supplied); her plans to address the concerns expressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17363/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received communication from pharmacists or if her attention has been drawn to such communication with the Health Service Executive indicating a cessation of services provided by pharmacists resulting from action taken by her Department and the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17447/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will take an initiative to resolve the ongoing dispute between herself, the Health Service Executive and the pharmacists with particular reference to the need to ensure ongoing services and facilities as provided by the pharmacist in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17448/08]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the contingency plans in place by her Department and the Health Services Executive to deal with the probability that pharmacists will withdraw from the community drugs scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17624/08]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has considered the impact on rural pharmacies of the cut in payment to pharmacists under the community drugs schemes; the plans in place to guarantee continuity of supply to patients of their medicines under the community drugs scheme in areas which may be left without a local community pharmacist arising from changes imposed by the Health Services Executive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17625/08]

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the situation regarding pharmacies arising from recent discussions between the Health Service Executive and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18013/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 150, 157, 158, 175, 176 and 191 together.

I welcome the recent decision of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) to recommend that its members not proceed with their threatened withdrawal from the GMS and community drugs schemes. This decision followed intensive consultations between the IPU and officials of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Department of Health and Children.

The Government's priority has been to ensure that patients continue to receive their full entitlements under the GMS and other drugs schemes and I am pleased that this has been achieved. Both the Government and the HSE have confirmed that they recognise the IPU as the representative body for community pharmacists. An agenda has been agreed for detailed discussions between the parties commencing this week on contractual and other outstanding issues.

I established an Independent Body to assess an interim, fair community pharmacy dispensing fee. This Body is being chaired by Seán Dorgan, former Head of IDA Ireland. It has been asked to make its recommendations by the end of May 2008. The Government is pleased that there will be no disruption of pharmacy services pending the completion of the work of the Independent Body. With continued goodwill on all sides, I am confident that significant progress will be made over the next few weeks.