I went into my local pharmacy last weekend and I again praised the staff for the great work they had done during Covid. The owner of the pharmacy was angry. She told me that the pharmacy was on the front line during Covid while doctors closed their doors and answered phone calls, which they were well paid for. Pharmacists got nothing, not even to cover the cost of printing all the country's prescriptions. They even made home deliveries to elderly people and they kept the show on the road. Her staff were not considered healthcare workers so they did not receive the €1,000 recognition payment. They do not feel valued. Given the amazing work pharmacies did during the Covid pandemic, will the Government consider giving them the €1,000 payment? I think it is worth doing that.

It is open to any pharmacist to pay the €1,000 bonus to their employees. Lots of private companies and business owners have done so. The Government helps by allowing them to do so tax free. That is a change we made in the last budget. I know it was not Deputy Fitzpatrick's reference but, quite frankly, I do not think the reference by the pharmacist about GPs was fair. GPs did not close their doors during the pandemic; they kept them open. They saw patients but, where possible, they did consultations by phone or by video because they did not want to expose their patients to the risk of infection.