Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 17:

In page 34, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:"(b) in section 14(1) by deleting paragraph (f),".

I have still not received a satisfactory explanation in my inquiries regarding the bankruptcy of professionals. I cannot find a logical reason a person who is eminently professionally qualified as a pharmacist is no longer permitted to practise as a pharmacist in the event of being declared bankrupt. I need clarity as to why that is so. There are many people who are on the edge or could be bankrupt very quickly. Many got involved in property speculation and all that goes with it. Why should that remove their eminent qualifications to dispense medicines? I cannot rationalise it. If a GP goes bankrupt, he or she can still practise as a doctor. The Minister is taking away a person's last legitimate entitlement to provide a living for himself or herself and his or her family by using his or her professional qualifications in a case where there is no question as to his or her integrity, ethics or ability, other than the fact that he or she is financially bankrupt. I understand the reason it applies to Members of the Oireachtas and others, in order to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, and also to maintain certain standards. However, it defies logic that a person who has gone to college for seven years and has a highly sought-after qualification cannot practise if bankrupt.

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