Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 10, subsection (1)(b), line 34, after "promote" to insert "and ensure".

This is probably a quibble, but I am good at them. Section 7(1)(b) of the Bill states that one of the principal functions of the society will be "to promote a high standard of education and training for persons seeking to become pharmacists". I think the society will have to do more than that. It will not simply promote high standards in the education of pharmacists; it will have a regulatory function to ensure that standards are maintained. I propose that the society will have "to promote and ensure a high standard of education". In the case of engineering, which is my own profession, the role of Engineers Ireland in the accreditation of engineering degrees is not just to try to encourage people to be accredited, but also to choose a standard which people must meet before they can say they have been recognised as an engineer in this State. It is a question of ensuring that standards are upheld, as well as promoting those standards. I will not argue about the word, but I think the point needs to be made.