Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

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 been well informed by the union and the society and it is my intention to consult both. I had this debate yesterday in regard to the Medical Practitioners Bill. The psychiatric training committee was mentioned and Deputies said they had never heard of it. It is the training body for psychiatrists. I was giving myself a transitional power because there was talk of a merger of the committee and the college in order that we would not have had to change the legislation when the body went out of existence and merged with another. I am not suggesting the IPU will go out of existence but it could well decide to become known by another name. One is overly prescriptive when one writes such provisions into legislation. It is my intention and, no doubt, that of my officials to consult widely before regulations are introduced. We need to consult because we do not have expertise.