§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE) rose to move, That the Draft Medicines (Extension to Antimicrobial Substances) Order 1973, laid before the House on February 5 be approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to move that the House do approve of the Draft Medicines (Extension to Antimicrobial Substances) Order 1973. The purpose of this Order is to enable the responsible Ministers to ensure that existing controls of non-medicinal antibiotics and related substances under Part II of the Therapeutic Substances Act 1956 will continue to be exercised under the Medicines Act 1968 when the Therapeutic Substances Act is repealed. It will enable steps to be taken also to implement certain recommendations of the Swann Committee—that is, the Joint Committee on the Use of Antibiotics in Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.
§ The Order brings within the scope of the licensing provision, and certain other provisions of the Medicines Act, substances which are not medicinal products as defined in the Act but are substances which, if used without proper safeguards, are capable of causing danger to the health of the community or of animals generally, or of one or more species of animal. The substances concerned are antibiotics, substances which possess antigenic properties similar to those of antibiotics, sulphanilamide and its derivatives, and the nitrofurans. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Draft Medicines (Extension to Antimicrobial Substances) Order 1973, laid before the House on February 5, be approved.—(Lord Aberdare.)
§ LORD HOYMy Lords, we are very happy to agree to this Motion. Of course, coming from Scotland, we are not unaware of the distinction of the Swann Committee in this respect. It is an important Motion we are moving this afternoon; it is important to health. We think the Ministry are right to take this step, and we are glad to support the Motion moved by the noble Lord.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.