Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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1331. To ask the Minister for Health if there are any implications for persons who travel to the Six Counties to have six different prescriptions filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37267/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Since 2003 Irish medicines legislation has allowed for the cross-border recognition of prescriptions. The Medicinal Products (Prescription & Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 as amended (S.I. 540 of 2003) (the Prescription Regulations) set out the requirements relating to the sale and supply of medicines, including medicines supplied on foot of prescriptions.

The legislation permits a pharmacist to dispense a prescription written by a practitioner practising in another EU MS, who is of equivalent status to a registered medical practitioner or registered dentist in Ireland, if the pharmacist is satisfied that he or she can verify the authenticity of the prescription and that he or she can determine the appropriate medicine and dosage instructions of the medicine to be supplied to the patient.

The prescription must not have been issued to facilitate mail order of prescription medicines (which is prohibited in Ireland). Further, a pharmacist may not dispense a cross-border prescription for a controlled drug (e.g. narcotics or psychotropics such as morphine, methadone etc.) because of the potential for abuse.

I understand that a similar provision exists in the legislation in Northern Ireland which allows a pharmacist in Northern Ireland to dispense a prescription written in this State, subject to the prescription meeting the requirements of Northern Irish medicines legislation.

In December 2012, the European Commission adopted Implementing Directive 2012/52/EU which lays down measures to facilitate the recognition of medical prescriptions between EU Member States. The intention of this Directive is to harmonise the rules and facilitate the recognition of prescriptions written in one Member State and dispensed in another Member State. Work is currently under way to transpose this Commission Implementing Directive 2012/52/EU into Irish law. The Directive will apply to prescriptions which are issued on foot of a patient’s request for an EU cross-border prescription.