HC Deb 18 October 1968 vol 770 cc838-9

Lords Amendment No. 187: In page 131, line 8, leave out from "words" to "for" in line 13 and insert: a retail pharmacy business is carried on',".

Mr. Snow

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

I suggest that it would be convenient for the House to discuss at the same time Amendments Nos. 188 to 202, being the remaining Amendments to the Bill.

Mr. Snow

In Northern Ireland, except in three respects, the poisons law has been similar to that in Great Britain. First, the powers of enforcement have rested with the Ministry of Home Affairs for Northern Ireland and not the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, which is a comparatively small body. Secondly, the alternative conditions of registration provided for by Section 1 of the Pharmacy and Medicines Act, 1941, have not operated in Northern Ireland. Thirdly, a few druggists, for whom provision is made in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4, are still licensed to keep open shop to retail poisons which are not on "prescription only".

Accordingly, the Amendments to the Northern Ireland poisons law set out in Schedules 7 and 8 to the Bill correspond to those for Great Britain, set out in Schedules 5 and 6, and have the purpose of maintaining corresponding laws for non-medicinal poisons. Medicinal substances will, of course, be dealt with by the Bill on a United Kingdom basis.

By the various definitions inserted by Amendments Nos. 189, 192 and 196, an economy in wording can be achieved as well as an added clarity.

Amendment No. 194 sets out, those persons who may lawfully sell non-medicinal poisons and, those persons entitled to apply to a local authority to have their names entered in the list of persons who may sell Part II non-medicinal poisons at the premises entered in the register.

The remainder of the Amendments to the Northern Ireland Pharmacy and Poisons Acts of 1925, 1945 and 1955 are consequential. Amendment No. 198 deletes an Amendment of Section 70(1) of the Food and Drugs Act (Northern Ireland), 1958, which on further consideration, is not considered to be necessary as the definition of the word "drug" in that Act does not require to be linked with the definition of "medicinal product" contained in the Bill.

The Schedule 8 Amendments are consequential on those made in Schedule 7.

Question put and agreed to.

Remaining Lords Amendments agreed to.