Fianna Fáil TDs will today demand the appointment of an independent arbitrator to end a row between the Health Service Executive and 1,600 pharmacists over drug prices.
The dispute will be on the agenda today at the Oireachtas Health and Children Committee, chaired by Laois/Offaly TD John Moloney (FF), where both the HSE and the pharmacists are to be represented.
Fianna Fáil TDs have agreed a motion that is expected to be put to the meeting that calls for an independent arbitrator and points to the importance of maintaining chemist shops in small towns and villages.
Last night, Michael Mulcahy TD (FF) said it was "essential that both sides in the dispute sit down together quickly" to resolve their differences.
An arrangement is necessary that "protects the taxpayers' interests and the future viability of community pharmacies, which are an absolutely essential part of Irish life", he said.