Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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808. To ask the Minister for Health who will pay for the training of members of the public to administer certain medicines, including Epipens, in emergency situations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38099/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On Thursday 15th October 2015 I signed new regulations which will allow certain prescription-only medicines, including adrenaline auto-injectors, to be administered by trained members of the public and by Pharmacists in emergency situations.

Organisations such as colleges, schools, restaurants and sports clubs will be allowed to hold these medicines and to arrange for staff to be trained in their use in the event of an emergency. The Statutory Instrument makes it a condition of administration of the medications concerned by lay persons that such persons must have undergone appropriate training in this regard.

Training courses may be provided by training organisations which have met the Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council accreditation standards. It is likely that a fee will be charged by the training course providers. As these fees will not be set by the Department of Health, I am not in a position to provide details of them. However, I anticipate that the fees will not be prohibitive. Organisations which wish to have their staff trained in the use of emergency medicines will pay for the courses.

The arrangements which the new regulations permit are voluntary. Organisations are not obliged to participate unless they wish to do so.