Vol. 552 No. 3
133 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason EU registered pharmacists are being precluded from working in pharmacies under three years old; his plans to remove this regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12517/02]
Under section 2 of the Pharmacy Act, 1962, the dispensing and compounding of medical prescriptions must be under the personal supervision of an "authorised person", as defined under subsection 2(3). EEC Council Directives 85/432/EEC, 85/433/EEC and 85/584/EEC provide for the mutual recognition of pharmacy qualifications for nationals of member states. The European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications In Pharmacy) Regulations, 1987 (SI 239 of 1987) and European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications in Pharmacy) Regulations, 1991 (SI 330 of 1991), which implemented the directives, amended the definition of an "authorised person". These regulations include the provision that a pharmacy in this State which has been in operation for less than three years shall not be managed or supervised by a pharmacist who qualified in another EC member state. However, the regulations do not preclude such pharmacists from working in a pharmacy which is less than three years old, other than as a supervising pharmacist.
The Pharmacy Review Group, established to examine the pharmacy issues raised in the OECD report on regulatory reform in Ireland, has been asked to assess and respond to the recommendations contained in that report on the current restrictions on pharmacists educated in other EU countries.
