To ask the Minister of Health whether the Strategic Planning and Performance Group has received a request for funding to align the pay and terms and conditions of pharmacists employed by GP Federations with those employed directly by Health and Social Care.

My Department has received correspondence from the GP Federations in relation to moving the General Practice Pharmacists (GPPs) onto Agenda for Change (AfC) pay and terms and conditions.

To secure the required funding, a business case needs to be developed and officials in my Department have worked with Federations in order to identify whether acceleration of prescribing savings through adherence to best practice and cost-effective prescribing guidance could be linked to additional investment into the GPP service. This requires the support of Northern Ireland General Practitioners Committee (NIGPC) and GP Federations.