§ Mr. HANNAasked the Minister of Health whether he has received numerous resolutions and letters of protest from associations of and individual chemists in the North of Ireland against certain parts of the regulations under the Dangerous Drugs Act; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter?
§ Mr. SHORTTMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. A number of representations, have been received from chemists and associations in the North of Ireland. As regards the action which is being taken in the matter, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which was made in the House last Thursday in reply to several questions on the subject.
§ Mr. CLOUGHasked the Home Secretary what was the result of the submission of the preliminary draft of the regulations under the Dangerous Drugs Act by the Home Office, as stated by the Under-Secretary of State in the public Press on 9th February, to the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the General Medical Council, the Royal College of Physicians, and the Royal College of Surgeons; whether, prior to the publication of the draft regulations by the Home Office, any and, if so, which of those bodies had indicated their approval of the draft; and whether any and, if so, which had submitted objections?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe result of the communication of the preliminary draft in November last to the bodies mentioned for their observations was as follows. The Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons considered the draft satisfactory and offered no observations, except that the Royal College of Physicians thought the minimum limit in the case of cocaine (which is fixed by the 1163W Act and cannot be altered by Regulation) too high. The General Medical Council also approved the Regulations, but asked that the directors of research laboratories might be included among the classes of persons who are authorised by the Regulations themselves to be in possession of the drugs. The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain replied by a letter maintaining that the proposal in the Regulations to prohibit the sale of the drugs to the public except on a medical prescription was ultra vires of the Act, and proposing that before going on with the Regulations the Government should appoint a Committee to consider the desirability of separating the functions of prescribing and dispensing. The reply of the Pharmaceutical Society for Ireland, which was not received till after the draft had been published, submitted objections on various points.