Results 9,761-9,780 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The amendment will further clarify the qualifications required. The section sets out the conditions which must be met to allow a person's qualifications be considered appropriate for practising pharmacy in the State. It deals with Irish, EU, EEA and non-EU qualifications. It gives the council the power to satisfy itself as to the appropriateness of any qualification and, if deemed...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: To be frank, the answer is yes. Many EU countries use qualifications as a barrier to entry. That is why we have not achieved to create the single market. There is a derogation. It is a matter for member states to decide but that others do not do it is not a reason we should not. What motivates me mostly is the position of Irish people who graduated abroad. Under Irish law, one cannot...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I agree there should be consultation and give an undertaking that there will be. However, one should not prescribe that there should be consultation by way of legislation. That is overly prescriptive and unnecessary. I have probably met representatives of the pharmacy profession more often than any other group in the past two and a half years and I am always happy to do so because I have...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I will not enforce the regulations. They will be enforced by the society. I do not yet have an enforcement wing at my disposal in my Department.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I would have liked to have brought Senator Browne to Scandinavia last week. If I had thought of it, I would have.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It would have been money well spent by the Government.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Senator Browne raised the issue of MRSA but we are not including provisions in that regard. As he knows, this is about empowering a regulatory body to regulate a profession. In response to Senator Ryan, in section 19——

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The regulations made by the Minister will be enforced by the society under section 19. Clearly, it is not the intention to close down anyone's business. I am the last person who would wish to so do as I am a strong believer in supporting those who take risks and open businesses. There will be transitional arrangements and there will be widespread consultations before regulations are made...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Yes. There will be one set of circumstances for new pharmacists and presumably there will be time for others to meet the requirements. It may be that in some locations this will be extremely difficult. One must be pragmatic and sensible in the manner in which one seeks to apply this provision.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The Senator's point is interesting. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland will regulate pharmacists rather than doctors. Consequently, there would be no point in reporting the activities of a doctor to the society. It would be an appropriate matter for the Medical Council and any citizen, pharmacists included, is free to make a complaint. There will be stronger powers in this regard under...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I will take advice on this amendment. I have made provision that the preliminary disciplinary proceedings committee can require a complainant to supply information by way of an affidavit. This is a good idea, if it believes it to be necessary rather than spending a lot of time on an issue that may not stand up or may be vexatious. Consequently, giving the committee the power to do this is...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I would be concerned if that were the case because I do not wish to preclude anyone from starting his or her own business, but I am advised the dispensing role of a hospital pharmacist will count towards the three-year experience requirement. Earlier this afternoon, I referred to legal advice the IPU had received regarding the contract negotiations, but I was in error. I am sorry if that...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: They are not being included as retail pharmacies.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I am assured the hospital pharmacists are included.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: There is a little confusion. They are included in the context of their dispensing role to outpatients. The bulk of their work relates to patients in hospitals. However, earlier I listed a number of drugs dispensed by hospital pharmacists to outpatients and that is effectively the same as a retail pharmacy business.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Absolutely.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Approximately 50 hospitals are registered for that purpose currently.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I will certainly ensure such people are covered because I would not want a situation to arise where somebody who has worked for 20 years in a hospital pharmacy is not able to open his or her own pharmacy if he or she chooses to do so. I will ensure that is certain.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Section 27 covers that situation. I have tabled amendment No. 39 to deal with the same situation.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Obviously, a supervising pharmacist must be in charge. There is no question of a pharmacy running for five years unsupervised. I do not know whether there would be an issue if we reduced it.