Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House, as well as the production, at last, of this highly important Bill. I believe it is one of two the Minister hopes to introduce. I hope the second Bill will also receive an airing in both Houses, if the Minister has time, because although this Bill contains some admirable measures, in the main it appears to me to be a mechanism for the establishment of the regulatory body. I listened to all of the speakers because I am interested in the topic. We waited a while for this Bill and I am glad the Minister brought it to this House first because it is getting an interesting and knowledgeable airing here, as most topics do. I wish to comment on pharmacists but not because the Visitors Gallery is full of them. They are the most unsung heroes and heroines of the world today.

In my local pharmacy I meet people who are worried, distraught or upset about their ailments and the prognosis on their states of health or those of their families. They have their prescriptions and are waiting to meet the chemist and hoping to catch his or her eye. This is why I was extremely interested in the discussion about a counselling or advice area. Most pharmacies do not have an area to which a person could be brought quietly and his or her fears talked through.

One cannot simply close the chemist shop. The one I go to does not have an inch of space and it is covered in merchandise. A most admirable pharmacist is in charge and when he is not there somebody else is. I do not know where anybody will go to have their angst addressed in this particular "chemist shop", as we always called it long ago.

They cannot be closed. Perhaps planning permission could be obtained to add on a small room where one could receive advice. People have great faith in pharmacists, sometimes more than they have in doctors. I apologise to Senator Henry. I do not know why this is. People seem to believe the gospel from a pharmacist's mouth. I have seen people leave much brighter than when they went in, clutching their packages with whatever is in them.

I know from my own experience that pharmacists have a moderating influence in society which is never strongly spoken or written about. It is a remarkable influence. In old history books one read about pharmacists making brews and I was not surprised to hear Acts dating from 1790 and 1890. One can imagine what was being dispensed then when quaint notions were held about what one needed, such as applying leeches and blood letting which has a modern context in the haemochromatosis debate.

This is a good Bill. However, I am also concerned about a matter raised by Senator Henry. We will open our gates to pharmacists from other countries to come here and practice. We had a Senator's meeting today at which Senator Feeney was asked several questions on this and it was of great interest. What will happen if a nice young Spanish woman or man works at a pharmacy here with spoken knowledge of English but not with the proficiency to go into great detail?

How will we ensure linguistic ability if we open our doors? We must address this. They are very welcome and I do not put up any barriers against it. However, how will it work in practice? Their qualifications will be recognised and they will be working here. It will not be managed well if we have little counselling bivouacs but the person providing the counselling is not proficient in the language.

Why are Irish pharmacists not allowed go to Spain or the Slovak Republic to practise their profession? Is Ireland the only country to open up? Will other countries be compelled to do so? I am all for an open Europe with no barriers and services available everywhere. However, these are the minutiae which arise when we declare we must open up our borders.

I like the idea of having non-professional pharmacists on the board which the Minister will appoint. I attended a meeting with medical people in Mullingar about the Medical Practitioners Bill. They are up in arms about having non-medical people on the board. I could not get behind their objections. I was not able to probe it and they could not tell me why. I suggested ordinary people would supply a lot of common sense.