Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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638. To ask the Minister for Health the efforts made to appoint a new chief pharmacist to the Department; when she hopes to be in a position to make such an appointment; when she hopes to initiate a review on the pharmacy fee structure, given the urgency of the situation with a number of new Government lead initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4305/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Pharmacists play a crucial role delivering many important services to support the health of our communities, offering expert advice on illness, ensuring the safe supply of medicines, and delivering vaccines to the public. Pharmacists are trusted and are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals.

Building on these strong foundations, I believe that pharmacists can do more for our health service and I am a huge advocate for the reform and expansion of pharmacy services. My ambition and that of Government’s is reflected in the commitments and priorities set out in the Programme for Government.

The findings and recommendations from the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy provide an important framework to inform the reforms and developments required to deliver expanded pharmacy services. My vision for the future includes pharmacists playing a much larger role in our health service, and I’m happy to see the progress being made by my Department to facilitate this.

The overarching recommendations from the Taskforce call for independent, autonomous prescriptive authority within and related to the individual pharmacist’s scope of practice and competence, implemented in a stepwise manner, commencing with the introduction of a common conditions service.

In line with the Taskforce's recommendations, my Department is prioritising delivery of all the regulatory enablers to facilitate community pharmacies to establish Common Conditions Services. I want to see this service established in 2025. This priority work is facilitated and supported by a multi-disciplinary group, including pharmacists, clinicians and regulatory experts, supported by pharmacists working in my Department.

As the work on the Common Conditions Service advances, my officials will progress a focused examination and scoping work on the remaining recommendations of the Taskforce, including consideration of recommendations regarding the role of a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, with a view to establishing an approach to further phases of reform and the expansion of the role of pharmacists.

The State invests a considerable amount of funding in community pharmacy each year.

In the context of the exciting opportunities regarding the future of community pharmacies, I look forward to working closely with the sector in 2025, including advancing engagements between my Department and the HSE with the representative body in relation to the community pharmacy contract and associated enablers.