Vol. 515 No. 2
159 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the pharmacy industry is protected in that a licence must issue for a pharmacy to operate; the reason this is possible with EU competition regulations in force; and whether the health board has total control on the issuing of licences for pharmacies when de-regulation is in place. [5633/00]
There is no licence required for the operation of a community pharmacy. Any person or company may open and operate a pharmacy in compliance with the provisions of the Pharmacy Acts, 1875 to 1977. The Health (Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement) Regulations, 1996 specify the criteria and procedures under which the chief executive officer of a health board may grant a contract for the provision of community pharmacy services under the Health Act, 1970. The purpose of the regulations is to bring about a more even geographic distribution of community pharmacies based on public health need, to enable the provision of the quality service required by the new contract also introduced in 1996 and to bring Ireland's provisions in regard to the grant of community pharmacy contracts into line with that obtaining in other EU member states. Prior to the introduction of the regulations, Ireland, unlike other EU member states, was the only country which did not have some form of control on the grant of community pharmacy contracts.
