Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 287: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of a request issued by a society (details supplied) for pharmacies to register as a retail pharmacy business; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that they are charging €2,500 per pharmacy for this registration, whereas the charge in the UK is only £150; when this charge was introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4354/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Pharmacy 2007 requires the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland to maintain a register of retail pharmacy businesses. Each retail pharmacy business has to meet certain minimum criteria regarding the facilities, storage and sale of medicinal products on their premises. Registration is required on an annual basis and inspections can be carried out by the Society.

The Society, has been, and continues to be, a self financing body. These new functions place additional costs on the Society. The Society engaged consultants to develop an evidence-based methodology for the determination of registration fees, on a viable and sustainable self-financing basis. The process included a comparative analysis of comparable international pharmacy regulators. I am informed by the Society that the arrangements for registration in Northern Ireland and the UK are substantially different to what is being introduced here. In particular, the range of duties of regulatory bodies in the UK, in terms of statutory obligations and their role in public safety, is not as extensive as those required of the Society under the Pharmacy Act 2007.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland has undertaken to keep the fees for the registration of retail pharmacy businesses under review throughout 2009, and update me as to their appropriate level when submitting its 2010 fee submission.