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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 1

Written Answers. - Pharmacy Regulations.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

617 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans in relation to pharmacy regulations here; his plans to move to regulate the pharmacy regime to ensure that they are owned and managed by the pharmacists themselves; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1098/03]

The opening and operation of retail pharmacies in Ireland is governed by the Pharmacy Acts 1875-1977, subject to restrictions imposed by non-pharmacy legislation such as the planning Act. A pharmacy may be operated by an individual or company providing that the shop and the dispensing and compounding of medical prescriptions are personally supervised by a person who is a pharmacist and is employed in a full-time capacity and is not acting elsewhere in a similar capacity.

The Health (Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement) Regulations 1996, which I revoked in January 2002, following advice from the Attorney General, set out the criteria and procedures for granting community pharmacy contracts by the health boards. Following the revocation of the regulations, there are no restrictions on granting new contracts in terms of location, population or viability of existing pharmacies.
The pharmacy review group, chaired by Professor Michael Mortell, was established by me in November 2001 to examine the pharmacy issues raised in the OECD report on regulatory reform in Ireland. The group has based its approach on the principles set out for evidence-based policy formulation by the Mandelkern Group in its publication The Mandelkern Group on better regulation final report, 13 November 2001. These include: public and interest group consultation; analysis of the existing position –ex post analysis; and analysis of possible options –ex ante analysis. The group has consulted widely and, in particular, with consumer interests. The group is on schedule to complete its task and report to me at the end of January 2003.
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