Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1687.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to report on his meetings with organisations (details supplied); and the measures his Department is taking to alleviate the organisations’ concerns in regard to the effect changes to the handling of prescriptions will have on retention of vets. [32800/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Preparation of veterinary medicinal products regulations are nearing completion. I have had extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders over a prolonged period of time.

These regulations will provide for:

• the rules pertaining to prescribing of prescription only medicines, including antiparasitics,
• the operation of the national database - the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS)
• the possession, administration and storage of VMPs and medicated feed,
• the licensing of the importation of certain VMPs and medicated feed
• the regulation of retail and internet sales of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs)

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1688.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will be required to consult with expert bodies, such as an organisation (details supplied), before changing the classification of veterinary medicine. [32801/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The classification of veterinary medicines is a function of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). Any change to the prescription status of a medicine is determined by the HPRA.

The route of supply of veterinary medicines is under my remit as Minister. I am at present engaging with stakeholders in relation to the draft Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulations 2024, which are currently being considered.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1689.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline his proposals for legislating for the provision of out-of-hours veterinary services; and the measures he is taking to ensure that these do not result in a reduction in service provision when compared to current codes of conduct of an organisation (details supplied). [32802/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine, including the provision of out of hours service, is a function of the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) in accordance with the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 (as amended).

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1690.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if concerns of vets in regard to the administrative burden of the three-day limit to logging digital prescriptions has been brought to his attention, particularly during the busy spring period; the measures he is taking to ensure the digital prescription system is accessible to vets with lower digital literacy; and if he would consider a longer reporting time period for the logging of digital prescriptions. [32803/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The National Veterinary Prescribed System (NVPS) is a secure electronic prescription system currently being developed to meet certain requirements within the new EU Veterinary Medicine Regulation 2019/6. The focus of these regulations is to protect human health and address the challenge presented by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

There are two ways to interact with this system. For vets that already have prescription software, engagement with the NVPS is via an Application Programming Interface (API). This means the two systems will 'speak' to each other and so any additional interaction for the vet is minimal. For vets that currently write paper prescriptions, the NVPS will be available as a free app. Every care has been taken to ensure the app is designed to be as user friendly and intuitive as possible.

Currently, there is no set time for logging digital prescriptions on the NVPS, but this will be subject to review. The current proposed limit for working offline is five days. This means a vet can use the system without internet connection for up to five days before he or she must go online to upload any prescriptions that have been entered into the app.

The draft regulations contain a provision that in exceptional circumstances, a person may apply for an exemption from using NVPS.