Health Bill

moved Amendment No. 78A:"Page 26, leave out lines 1 and 2." The noble Earl said: The National Pharmacy Association has raised a concern with me about new Section 72A(7)(a), which I should like to pursue as I have considerable sympathy with it. When a pharmacist qualifies, he or she becomes a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. That means that he or she is registered with the society, which is the profession’s regulatory body, and is thereby permitted to use the registered title of pharmacist. The qualification is recognised throughout the European Union as the standard for a person to be in charge of a community pharmacy business. Subsection (7)(a) appears to allow Ministers to make further provisions about the qualifications and experience of anyone calling himself the ““responsible pharmacist””. I seriously question how appropriate it is to give Ministers such a power. Why should UK Ministers lay down extra requirements for a pharmacist to operate a retail pharmacy business above those which already exist in Europe? Why should a pharmacist be thought to need any further qualifications or experience beyond his or her membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain? I should be grateful if the Minister could explain what underlies this provision. I beg to move.