Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister and her officials. We support the Bill in general and we welcome the fitness to practise aspect of the Bill which we hope will ensure patient safety. Fine Gael is very keen to have a patient safety authority to cover all areas of medicine as there is a need for such a body. I do not envy the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland because it will have a lot of work to do when it is reformed and the legislation is somewhat vague in some areas. It will be its responsibility to decide on rules and codes of conduct. Pharmacies have changed in many ways and this Bill will enable them to change further and to meet the needs of patients. It is important that we follow the New Zealand and Northern Ireland example where pharmacies dispense drugs but will also ensure the patient is taking medication correctly.

I repeat my call that the pharmacists from the South would be permitted to work in the North and this is an issue which the Minister could take up with her European and Northern Ireland counterparts. The biggest threat we face is the growing sale of drugs on the Internet to which there is no easy solution but we must redouble our efforts.