§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of(a)patients' need for monitored dosage systems and (b)the wide variation in payment mechanisms to community pharmacists for these, including charges to individual patients. [158999]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonNo such assessment has been made nationally. However, primary care trusts may make local arrangements to assess need, arrange provision of services and establish a local payment mechanism.
As part of new national community pharmacy contractual framework discussions, we are examining arrangements for the provision of compliance aids of which monitored dosage systems is but one.
§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all the EU accession countries are compliant with the minimum training requirements in(a)medicine, (b)nursing and (c)dentistry as laid down in the relevant EC Directives. [159203]
§ Mr. HuttonAll acceding states are committed to ensuring that the qualifications they award to doctors and nurses responsible for general care and dentists who begin their training on or after the date of accession meet specified minimum requirements. It is for the European Commission, which is closely monitoring their progress, to see that these obligations are met. It intends to update Member States shortly.