Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 217: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the practice of developing health centres in conjunction with pharmacies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38192/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The provision of modern, well-equipped, accessible premises will be central to the effective functioning of primary care teams and networks. It is therefore necessary to facilitate and encourage the development, where appropriate, of modern, well-equipped, user-friendly buildings in which the broad range of primary care services, including general practice, can be delivered.

To ensure that appropriate facilities are developed on the required scale, resources other than those of the Exchequer will be required and this is line with the historic practice, whereby there has been a mix of public and private facilities provision, with, for example, general practitioners in many cases funding their own practice premises. In this regard, the primary care strategy emphasises the need to gain full benefit from existing buildings and to fully explore opportunities for private investment and public-private partnerships in implementing the development programme. The Government is committed to developing policy in such a way as to encourage innovative approaches to the provision of primary care facilities and services in line with the objectives of the primary care strategy. The Health (Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement) Regulations 1996, which were revoked by my predecessor in January 2002 following advice from the Office of the Attorney General, set out the criteria and procedures for granting community pharmacy contracts in the HSE areas. The effect of the revocation, for the awarding of new community pharmacy contracts, is that there are no restrictions on granting new community pharmacy contracts in terms of location, population or viability of existing pharmacies. The revocation did not affect the operation of the community pharmacy scheme, and existing contracts at that time remained in place. The opening or establishment of all new pharmacies continues to be governed by the Pharmacy Acts, subject to restrictions imposed by non-pharmacy legislation such as the Planning Act.

The Government has accepted the recommendation of the pharmacy review group that there be no beneficial interest between prescribing and dispensing. Currently, a community pharmacy contract may not be awarded to a pharmacy in which a GP practising in the area has a beneficial interest.