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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 8 Mar 1962

Vol. 193 No. 8

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - I.M.A. Journal's Comment on Pharmacy Bill.

1.

asked the Minister for Health whether his attention has been drawn to the article entitled Comment on the Pharmacy Bill, 1962, in the current issue of the Journal of the Irish Medical Association; and whether he will make a statement in regard to it.

My attention has been drawn to the article in question. As certain passages in it have caused some uneasiness to persons who feel that they may be affected by the Bill, I feel that even in advance of the debate on the later stages of the Bill I should take this opportunity to correct the more inaccurate or misleading statements which it contains.

The statement that "future licentiates of the Apothecaries Hall will eventually cease to be allowed to keep open shop" is incorrect. The Pharmacy Bill contains no provision which would affect, either now or later, the right of licentiates of the Hall to keep open shop. It is only the right of such licentiates to registration as pharmaceutical chemists which will be terminated. This is being done by agreement with the Apothecaries Hall and all the rights of existing apothecaries and student apothecaries will be preserved.

The article, in referring to the provisions of the Bill empowering the Pharmaceutical Society to charge annual fees, states that the Bill provides that "registered pharmacists, in order to keep open shop should be compelled to pay an annual fee to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland". Lest this might be construed as meaning that the Minister for Health was pressing this provision on a reluctant Pharmaceutical Society, I would point out that, in fact, this provision is based on proposals made by the Society in a praiseworthy attempt to improve their financial position.

The article refers at some length to the cost of providing facilities for the education of pharmacists, but fails to advert to the significant fact that the arrangements recently made to include part of the course for pharmaceutical chemists within the ambit of the university system mean in effect that pharmaceutical education will participate in the very considerable subsidies given by the State to university education.

The article states that "the wording of the Bill in respect of approval of teachers and courses is obscure". Frankly I cannot understand the basis of this statement, since the relevant provision in sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Bill is quite clear. Under it, the Council of the Society may make regulations, which will be subject to the approval of the Minister, to govern the training and examination of persons wishing to become pharmaceutical chemists. In this connection, the Bill states that these regulations "may, in particular, provide:" (i) for the approval by the Council of lecturers, teachers and examiners; and (ii) for the recognition and approval of courses of study and training and of examinations. And, of course, there is no question, as the article states, of "examinations and courses being run for essentially different levels or purposes".

In the statement "in fairness to our pharmacists in practice (keeping open shop), the registration of foreign trained pharmacists should be postponed until Ireland joins the Common Market", there is an implication that the floodgates are to be opened to an influx of foreign pharmacists. This is very far-fetched indeed, since the proposed section is purely permissive. It will merely enable the Pharmaceutical Society, subject to Ministerial approval, to grant Irish recognition to foreign-trained pharmacists and thus give them the necessary quid pro quo on which to base arrangements with other countries for the mutual recognition of qualifications.

The article also suggests that the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society is insufficiently representative of the various interests which make up pharmacy, that is hospital pharmacists, teachers of pharmacy and so on. The fact is that no particular type of pharmacist, be he businessman, hospital pharmacist or teacher of pharmacy, is precluded from membership of the Council.

Question No. 2 postponed.

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