Committee
Health and Community Care Committee, 04 Feb 2003
04 Feb 2003 · S1 · Health and Community Care Committee
Item of business
Retail Pharmacies (Report)
I, too, have been lobbied, but not on a train.There are local pharmacies in cities, so the issue is important not just for rural areas but for the survival of many local pharmacies in towns. They, too, are concerned.The clerk's note says that it is for Scottish ministers to determine what action, if any, should be taken regarding the statutory arrangements for control of entry to NHS lists. Does that mean that before any change could happen, a statutory instrument would have to come before the committee?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
The next item, on the Office of Fair Trading report on retail pharmacies, will be taken in public, as agreed.
Mary Scanlon:
Con
Last week, on my train journey to Inverness, I sat beside a pharmacist. He had three and a half hours in which to lobby me on the issue.The report has far-re...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
The 90 days that you are talking about is the 90-day period within which responses have to be sent to the OFT.
Mary Scanlon:
Con
That period ends on 17 April.
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
The OFT is required to consult the devolved health departments and the Scottish Executive health department has come up with 28 February for the end of its c...
Mary Scanlon:
Con
So pharmacists and anyone else in Scotland who has concerns must get their responses to Frank McAveety by 28 February, so that those views can be fed into th...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
Yes. It is a staged process. I have spoken to pharmacists in my constituency. If they miss the 28 February deadline, there is nothing to prevent them from se...
Mary Scanlon:
Con
I would be concerned if there was only one opinion from Scotland—if all the views go to the minister and only one view is sent to Westminster. I hope that th...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
You seem to be saying that, given the amount of work that the committee has to do on the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill, we need to ask the minister what his ...
Nicola Sturgeon:
SNP
I am concerned about the implications of the OFT report. I understand the time scale and the consultation process; the Scottish Executive will seek views unt...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
It is difficult to extricate all the information from the OFT report. From what I have seen of it so far, the OFT has not considered the issue of dispensing ...
Mr McAllion:
Lab
I, too, have been lobbied, but not on a train.There are local pharmacies in cities, so the issue is important not just for rural areas but for the survival o...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
Yes.
Mr McAllion:
Lab
We cannot just let the matter slip through. We need a briefing about the full implications of such a statutory instrument so that we know what we are voting ...
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
Yes. Could we agree that we should ask for extra information before we decide what we are going to do? Is it agreed that we give the committee clerks two wee...
Members indicated agreement.
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
Given that Executive responses are not always expeditious, can we emphasise in the letter the time scale and the committee's concerns?
The Deputy Convener:
Lab
Yes.I will see you all tomorrow morning at 9.30.
Meeting closed at 11:49.