Issues related to pharmacy that were raised in the Houses of the Oireachtas recently included the safe disposal of unused medicines, workforce and education capacity within the sector, and the role of community pharmacy in supporting primary care delivery.
There has been continued attention on the expanding role of community pharmacy as a key access point within the healthcare system, alongside broader considerations around equity of access, consistency in service provision, and the development of national initiatives to support medicines management and patient care.
Deputy Ken O’Flynn (Cork North Central, Independent Ireland) raised the issue of unused medicines, asking the Minister whether her Department has carried out any, “national assessment of the annual costs to the Exchequer of unused, expired, uncollected, or otherwise wasted medicines under State-funded medicine schemes?”
The Minister for Health confirmed that no national programme currently exists for the collection and safe disposal of unused medicines, noting that community pharmacists have traditionally facilitated returns on a goodwill basis.
She did however advise that a scheme for the safe disposal of unused medicines is included under the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025, and officials in the Department of Health, the HSE and the IPU are “finalising preparations for this service, and a nationwide rollout will commence in the coming months”.
Third-level healthcare courses were raised by Deputy Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fáil) and Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fáil), who sought updates from the Minister for Further and Higher Education on progress in implementing Programme for Government commitments in this area.
The Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless outlined significant investment in expanding healthcare education, including new pharmacy programmes in the University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University.
Deputy Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Féin) asked a similar question about the, “additional pharmacy training places that will be made available at Trinity College Dublin” following the Government announcement of investment in healthcare education. Minister Lawless advised that, “Trinity College Dublin did not submit an expression of interest to expand their existing pharmacy programme,” but reiterated the expansion of pharmacy programmes in other universities.
Raising the national workforce requirements of the pharmacy sector, Deputy Pádraig O’Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fáil) also asked Minister Lawless the number of Irish nationals enrolled in pharmacy programmes and expected to graduate over the next five years.
Similarly, Deputy Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) asked the Minister for the number of non-EU student graduates from healthcare courses, including pharmacy, “who have left the State within five/ten years of completing their studies”. While specific figures were not provided, the Minister stated that significant expansion has been achieved across healthcare disciplines, including pharmacy.
Deputy Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Féin) asked the Minister for Health about the availability of “a lock type dispenser placed on the outside of a pharmacy” that would allow people to access their prescription after the closure of the pharmacy.
The Minister explained the strict statutory controls that exist in relation to the supply of medicinal products, namely that a retail pharmacy business “must be conducted under the personal supervision of a registered pharmacist”. For this reason, the use of such systems is prohibited.
The Free HRT Scheme, now in place for over a year, was raised in the Dáil by Deputy Roderic O’Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party). Deputy O’Gorman asked the Minister for Health, “if GPs are entitled to charge a full visit fee in advance of issuing an initial prescription for medication covered by the free HRT scheme”, given the scheme aims to promote the availability of HRT for women.
Minister Caroll MacNeill advised the Deputy that GPs are private practitioners and that her Department has no role in relation to setting fees charged by GPs but outlined that “the pharmacy dispensing fees are met by the State”, removing the substantial cost burden for women in need of HRT products.
During questions on policy or legislation with the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, Deputy Pádraig Rice (Cork South Central, Social Democrats) asked when the strategic review of general practice will be completed. The Taoiseach stated that he would raise the issue with the Minister for Health, but highlighted the “expansion of pharmacy in its role in primary care”.
On another occasion, during a Dáil debate, Deputy Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Féin) raised a similar issue on the shortage of GPs in County Laois. In his response, the Taoiseach once again pointed the Deputy to the Government’s investment in pharmacy capabilities and the Common Conditions Service. The Taoiseach advised that the Government has had to become “more flexible in how we enable people to access primary care”.
Brian Harrison
Managing Director, MKC Communications
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