S.I. No. 148/2020 - Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) (Amendment) Rules 2020

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 28th April, 2020.

The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, in exercise of the powers conferred on the said Society by section 11 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 (No. 20 of 2007) (as adapted by the Health and Children (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011 ( S.I. No. 219 of 2011 )), with the consent of the Minister for Health, hereby makes the following rules:-

1. (1) These Rules may be cited as the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) (Amendment) Rules 2020.

(2) The Principal Rules, Rule 14 of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Continuing Professional Development) Rules 2015 ( S.I. No. 553 of 2015 ), the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) (Amendment) Rules 2017 and these Rules may be cited together as the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) Rules 2014 to 2020.

2. In these Rules “Principal Rules” means the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) Rules 2014 ( S.I. No. 377 of 2014 ).

3. Rule 6(b) of the Principal Rules is amended by inserting “subject to Rule 14(1A),” before “not less than twelve months”.

4. Rule 14 of the Principal Rules is amended by inserting after paragraph (1) the following paragraphs:

“(1A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) and Rule 6(b), in the exceptional circumstances arising from the Covid-19 emergency, in the case of a person to whom paragraph (1) applies who commenced his or her fifth year in-service training prior to 1 March 2020, the requirement to complete at least 12 months of in-service practical training including not less than eight consecutive months of the training referred to in paragraph (1)(b) may be reduced, at the discretion of the recognised institution, to a requirement to complete 10 months of in-service practical training including not less than six months of the training referred to in paragraph (1)(b).

(1B) In paragraph (1A), ‘Covid-19 emergency’ means the situation resulting from the spread in the State of the disease caused by infection with the virus SARS- CoV-2, being a disease specified as an infectious disease in accordance with Regulation 6 of, and the Schedule to, the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 ( S.I. No. 390 of 1981 ), or any variant of the disease so specified as an infectious disease in those Regulations.”.

I, SIMON HARRIS, Minister for Health, consent to the making of the foregoing Rules.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

24 April, 2020.

SIMON HARRIS,

Minister for Health.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland,

24 April 2020

JOANNE KISSANE,

President of The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.

NIALL BYRNE,

Registrar Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

These Rules allow the Council, in the exceptional circumstances arising from the Covid-19 emergency, to reduce the requirement that fifth year pharmacy students complete eight consecutive months of in-service practical training under the direct supervision of a tutor pharmacist, in a registered retail pharmacy business in the State or in the pharmacy department of a hospital in the State, to a requirement that they complete six months of such training.

These Rules may be cited as the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) (Amendment) Rules 2020.