HEALTH MINISTER STEPHEN Donnelly will this morning present Cabinet with draft legislation that would see pharmacists allowed to prescribe some medications, in a move that will help alleviate pressure on GPs.
Donnelly will today seek Cabinet approval to publish a general scheme and draft of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
The legislation comes as part of plans by the Minister to expand the role of pharmacists in Ireland and to make it easier for patients to access services.
The move has been supported by pharmacists for a long time, who have argued that they have the qualifications and expertise to play a more active role in dispensing medicine.
Under the new law, pharmacists will be able to supply the contraceptive pill without prescription as part of the continued roll-out of the free contraceptive scheme.
An expert taskforce has been established by Donnelly to support the expansion of pharmacy care which will look at “minor ailment schemes” and independent prescribing.
If enacted, on top of giving pharmacists the power to dispense some medicines without a GP prescription, including the contraceptive pill, the Bill aims to address the management of medicine shortages, which has become a major issue.
It would allow the Minister for Health to put in place medicines substitution protocols where a shortage of a medicinal product exists.
Recently, there have been reports of shortages of a large number of medicines in Ireland, including the weight loss drug Saxenda and the drug Ozempic which is often prescribed for patients with diabetes.
Earlier this month, it was reported that around 350 medicines were out of stock or in short supply in Ireland, according to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), up from 250 at the start of the year.
The proposed new legislation also would see the law amended to support vaccination programmes by allowing the administration of vaccines by a wider range of suitable qualified professionals.
It would also herald changes for potential medical card holders who wish to use the Rent-a-Room scheme in their homes, with a disregard for Rent-a-Room income of up to €14,000 a year from medical card assessment.
This comes as part of plans by the Government to remove any potential barriers to participation in the Rent-A-Room scheme.
Elsewhere, it is understood that Donnelly and the Minister for Older People, Mary Butler will seek Cabinet approval this morning for an independent commission to examine health and social care services and supports for older persons.
It’s expected that the Commission will examine the services provided for older persons by the HSE, NGOs and other entities like home care and day service provider.
It will be asked to make recommendations to Government on the strategic development of health and social care services and supports for older persons.
It will also examine residential care settings and models of supported living.
The Commission is due to be established before the end of this year and is expected to complete its work in phases.
Also at Cabinet, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will bring the updated Planning and Development Bill before ministers this morning also.
If passed, the Bill will introduce statutory timelines for planning applications (ranging from 18 weeks for appeals to 48 weeks for more complex issues) in what will be one of the biggest legislative overhauls in the history of the Oireachtas.
First published earlier this year, the Bill will introduce wide ranging reform of the planning system and intends to speed up the planning process and in turn help speed up the delivery of housing.
Some of these reforms include how judicial reviews are brought, with the Bill changing how residents associations can take cases against planning decisions, as well as introducing an extension on the time local development plans are in effect.
The Bill will also introduce a significant overhaul of An Bord Pleanála, which will be reorganised into An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The restructure comes in the wake of the controversy in the planning body last year, which resulted in Chairperson Dave Walsh opting to retire early in November.
This reorganisation will see the introduction of Planning Commissioners and a Governing Executive, as well as the separation of both decision-making and the corporate roles.
On the decision-making side, there will be 14 Planning Commissioners alongside a Chief Planning Commissioner. These roles will replace the existing chairperson and board member roles.
The Governing Executive will be responsible for the governance of An Coimisiún Pleanála, with a Chief Executive and seven non-executive members.
As a result of the Planning and Development Bill, the Government is understood to want to make judicial reviews of planning decisions a “waste of time”.
Judicial reviews are cases taken by citizens or groups to the High Court. In recent years, such cases have been used to challenge decisions made by An Bord Pleanála on large-scale property developments around the country.
Under the Planning and Development Bill, resident associations will be required to have a named individual or group of individuals commence a judicial review going forward, rather than bringing it forward as a broader residents’ association.
There will also be timelines set out for the entire judicial review process, from pleading cases to the delivery of a judgement.
However, some have been critical of the Bill with former Chief Justice, Frank Clarke claiming last week that it could lead to lengthy legal delays as cases are referred to European courts.
As reported by The Business Post, Clarke warned that if the Government proceeds with proposed reforms, it would be “counterproductive”.
He said: “If the theory is to make quick decisions to allow proper development go ahead, creating a system where there will be references to the Court of Justice of the European Union and the inevitable delay before there’s clarity about the law seems to be counterproductive to the purpose it is intended.”
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