Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 13:

In page 43, line 29, after "medicine" to insert the following:

", including the issue of prescriptions and prescription only medicines,".

I do not accept the argument put forward by the Minister on Committee Stage for not accepting the amendment tabled on this matter. The veterinary profession is strongly lobbying that its practitioners should be the ones who would be entitled to issue prescription only medicines in this area. That is not provided for in the directive on this area that we will receive from Brussels but that is the interpretation veterinary surgeons are putting on it.

While veterinary surgeons are seeking to have the right to write prescriptions and issue medicines, the practice to date has and will continue to be that they do not issue the medicines, rather they get their staff to do so. The medicines are given out and the prescriptions are written up later. That is what happens on a day-to-day basis. If veterinary practitioners want to have the right to issue prescriptions and particular medicines, the practice of doing so should be solely a matter for them. I do not understand why a person who is qualified to issue medicines in an animal health store or in a co-operative cannot issue them because of a change in the regulations while a veterinary practitioner can get a person who has no qualifications but simply works under the banner of a veterinary practitioner to issue veterinary medicine.

In her response to an amendment on this matter on Committee Stage, the Minister said acceptance of it would mean that only vets could issue prescriptions but as the Minister has repeated on numerous occasions, this is not the legislation to deal with that matter. That type of action should be specified. If it is designated that a vet should issue a particular type of prescription, he or she should not be able to pass that off to an unqualified employee to issue the medicine.

See this speech in context