1. Introduction
1. In January 2003, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
published a report entitled The Control of Entry Regulations
and Retail Pharmacy Services in the UK. The remit of the investigation
was to consider the effects of the Control of Entry Regulations
on the service available to consumers, as well as the cost of
this service. In doing so, the investigation applied a purely
economic and consumer perspective, concluding that the Control
of Entry Regulations for community pharmacies in the UK should
be ended.[1]
The report generated immediate controversy and public alarm, with
its critics arguing that it sounded the "death knell"
of smaller community pharmacy services.[2]
2. In the light of this controversy, we decided to
conduct a rapid inquiry into the report. The inquiry was announced
on 18 March 2003, and on 3 April 2003 we took oral evidence from
the OFT, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the
Cooperative Pharmacy Community Technical Panel, and ASDA. We also
received written evidence from the Patients' Association, Boots,
the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the Association
of Town Centre Management, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of
Great Britain, the Company Chemists' Association, the UK Public
Health Association, Lloydspharmacy, the British Medical Association,
and North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and High Peaks and Dales
PCT. We are very grateful to all those who submitted evidence
to this inquiry. In addition, we are indebted to the Clerks' Department
Scrutiny Unit for their excellent research, briefing and drafting
support.
1 Office of Fair Trading OFT609 (2003), para. 1.24
(hereafter, OFT 609 (2003)) Back
2
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, quoted by BBC
News Online 17 January 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2668031.stm Back
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