asked the Minister for Health whether and, if so, what steps he proposes to take to control the advertising and sale of patent medicines.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Patent Medicines.
The Health Act, 1947, conferred power on the Minister for Health to make regulations for the control of the advertisement and sale of medical and toilet preparations. The nature of the control to be exercised and the steps taken to deal elsewhere with this problem, which is an extremely complicated one, are at present being examined in my Department with a view to the preparation of appropriate regulations which will, in due course, be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Is the Minister aware that other countries have taken up the question of the control of the sale of those articles, the incidence of the majority of which is only equal to the number of things they claim to cure? In Mexico, for example, no hair restorer may be put on the market without six authentic testimonials. It might be better to keep your hair on.
I have been aware of that but, unfortunately, in taking over my Department I had a number of very much more important matters to deal with. Hence I must defer consideration of it.