Pharmacy Act 2007
Number 20 of 2007
PHARMACY ACT 2007
REVISED
Updated to 6 May 2025
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Pharmacy Act 2007. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2025 (3/2025), enacted 15 April 25, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020 (Commencement of Certain Provisions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 151 of 2025), made 30 April 2025, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 20 of 2007
PHARMACY ACT 2007
REVISED
Updated to 6 May 2025
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Preliminary and General
Section
1. Short title and commencement.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
5. Dissolution of old and establishment and membership of new Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.
The Council of the Society
10. The Council of the Society.
11. Functions of the Council and their delegation.
12. Codes of conduct: reference to Competition Authority and Ministerial consent.
Pharmaceutical Registration System
14. Procedure and criteria for registration of pharmacists.
15. Registration of persons registered or entitled to be registered under repealed legislation.
16. Qualifications for practice.
17. Procedure and criteria for registration of retail pharmacy businesses.
18. Regulation of retail pharmacy businesses.
19. Inspection of premises of retail pharmacy business for the purposes of section 18.
20. Certificate of registration.
21. Refusal to register: notification and appeal.
21A. Appeal against failure to make a determination. (Repealed)
21C. Declarations by pharmacy owner.
22. Maintenance and correction of registers.
23. Evidence as to the registers.
24. Roll of pharmacy students.
24A. Visiting European Pharmacists (Repealed)
24B. Division of Register for visiting European pharmacists
Offences
26. Conduct of retail pharmacy business: offences.
27. Carrying on of retail pharmacy business by natural person or partnership.
28. Carrying on of retail pharmacy business by corporate body.
29. Carrying on of retail pharmacy business by representative.
30. Saving for temporary cover by pharmaceutical assistant.
31. Offence of providing skilled pharmaceutical assistance by unregistered person.
32. Offence of holding oneself out as registered pharmacist or registered druggist.
Complaints, Inquiries and Discipline
35. Complaints about registered pharmacists.
36. Complaints about registered retail pharmacy businesses.
38. Reference of complaints to preliminary proceedings committee for advice.
39. Action by Council on advice for no further action.
40. Procedure following recommendation for, or decision to take, further action.
41. Notification of referral of complaint to committee of inquiry and of hearing.
43. Hearings: evidence, powers, immunities, offences, etc.
44. Procedure following withdrawal of complaint.
45. Interim suspension of registration.
47. Committee’s inquiry report.
48. Action by Council on report by disciplinary committee.
49. Notification of imposition of disciplinary sanction.
50. Disciplinary sanction to be confirmed by High Court.
51. High Court’s power to cancel, etc., disciplinary sanction.
52. Confirmation by High Court of disciplinary sanction.
53. Expert evidence on poor professional performance and professional misconduct.
54. Finality of decision of High Court.
55. Notification of decision of High Court.
56. Notification of sanctions, etc., to Minister.
57. Public notice of sanctions, etc.
58. Absolute privilege for disciplinary proceedings, etc.
59. Cancellation of registration on request.
60. Cancellation of registration on failure to pay fee.
61. Restoration of registration.
62. Removal of conditions imposed under this Part.
63. Prohibition on certain economic relationships between pharmacists or pharmacies and doctors.
65. Saver for certain property interests.
Powers of Investigation
67. Powers of entry, search, seizure, etc.
70. Indemnification of authorised officers.
71. Functions of Council on receipt of report of investigation by authorised officer.
73. Special measures registration having regard to Covid-19.
Miscellaneous and General
73. Restriction of Apothecaries’ Hall Act 1791.
74. Amendment of Poisons Act 1961.
75. Interpretation of references to pharmaceutical chemists, persons keeping open shop, etc.
76. Codes, rules and regulations.
77. Special measures registration having regard to Covid-19.
78. Admissibility of certain documents relating to proceedings in State or other jurisdictions.
79. Power to specify form of documents.
The Council and its members and the society’s employees
Recognition of Professional Qualifications in Pharmacy
Certificate stating results of test, examination or analysis
Enactments Repealed
Acts Referred to
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Animal Remedies Acts 1993 and 2006 |
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Apothecaries’ Hall Act 1791 |
31 Geo. 3., c.34 |
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1988, No. 27 |
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1990, No. 33 |
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Companies Acts 1963 to 2005 |
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Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 |
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1995, No. 22 |
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1993, No. 25 |
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1997, No. 2 |
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1976, No. 11 |
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1995, No. 29 |
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Irish Medicines Board Acts 1995 and 2006 |
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1978, No. 4 |
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1977, No. 12 |
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Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2006 |
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Partnership Act 1890 |
53 & 54 Vic., c. 93 |
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Pharmacy Act (Ireland) 1875 |
38 & 39 Vic., c.57 |
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Pharmacy Act, (Ireland) Amendment Act 1890 |
53 & 54 Vic., c.48 |
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1951, No. 30 |
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1962, No. 14 |
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Pharmacy Acts 1875 to 1977 |
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1961, No. 12 |
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Poisons Acts 1961 and 1977 |
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Poisons and Pharmacy Act 1908 |
8 Edw. 7., c. 55 |
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1996, No. 12 |
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Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875 |
38 & 39 Vic., c.63 |
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1997, No. 39 |
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1996, No. 6 |
Number 20 of 2007
PHARMACY ACT 2007
REVISED
Updated to 6 May 2025
AN ACT TO MAKE NEW PROVISION FOR THE REGULATION OF PHARMACY, INCLUDING PROVISION FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND AND THE SETTING UP OF A NEW PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND, FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT, CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE NEW SOCIETY’S COUNCIL, FOR A NEW SYSTEM OF REGISTRATION OF QUALIFIED PHARMACISTS, DRUGGISTS AND PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANTS AND OF PHARMACIES, FOR THE CREATION OF CERTAIN OFFENCES RELATING TO PHARMACY AND FOR THE SETTING UP OF NEW PROCEDURES TO ENSURE THAT PHARMACISTS ARE AND CONTINUE TO BE FIT TO PRACTISE AND TO PREVENT PHARMACISTS, PHARMACY OWNERS AND MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS FROM ENTERING INTO CERTAIN INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIPS; AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS. [21st April, 2007]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C1
Functions transferred and references to “Minister” and “Department of Finance” construed (6.07.2011) by Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 (10/2011), ss. 7, 9, 11, 15, 20 and sch. 2 part 1, commenced as per s. 1(2).
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
7.— (1) There shall stand established on the appointed day a Department of State to be known, in the Irish language, as an Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe or, in the English language, as the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
(2) The member of the Government who is in charge of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform—
(a) shall be known, in the Irish language, as an tAire Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe or, in the English language, as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and
(b) is, in this Act, referred to as the “Minister”.
...
Transfer of certain other functions to Minister.
9.— ...
(2) The functions conferred on the Minister for Finance by or under any of the provisions specified in Part 1 of Schedule 2 are transferred to the Minister.
...
Transfer of administration and business of Department of Finance.
11.— (1) The administration and business in connection with the performance of the functions transferred by sections 8 and 9 are hereby transferred to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
(2) References to the Department of Finance contained in any statute or instrument under a statute in so far as they relate to the administration and business transferred by subsection (1) shall, from the appointed day, be construed as references to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
...
Construction of references
15.— (1) References to the Minister for Finance contained in any statute or instrument under a statute in so far as they relate to any function transferred by this Act shall, from the appointed day, be construed as references to the Minister.
...
Performance of certain functions transferred to Minister by section 9.
20.— (1) The Minister shall not perform a function transferred by subsection (2) of section 9 without the consent of the Minister for Finance.
...
SCHEDULE 2
Functions Transferred To Minister
...
PART 1
Functions performable with consent of Minister for Finance
STATUTES
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Number and Year |
Short Title |
Provision |
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(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
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... |
... |
... |
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No. 20 of 2007 |
Pharmacy Act 2007 |
Paragraph 18(1) of Schedule 1 |
|
... |
... |
... |
Editorial Notes:
E1
Registrar of Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland designated as recipient of disclosures of relevant wrongdoings relating to the regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies including the Society’s responsibility for supervising compliance with Act (24.09.2020) by Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Disclosure to Prescribed Persons) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2014), art. 2 and sch. ref. no. 57.
E2
Work or activity which is carried on by a person, a necessary and regular part of which requires the person to have access to, or contact with, children and vulnerable persons pursuant to Act included in schedule 1 to National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (47/2012) (29.04.2016) by National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (47/2012), s. 2 and sch. 1, part 1 item 15(f) and part 2 item 12(f), S.I. No. 214 of 2016.
E3
Previous affecting provision: Registrar of Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland designated as recipient of disclosures of relevant wrongdoings relating to the regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies including the Society’s responsibility for supervising compliance with Act (23.07.2014) by Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Section 7(2)) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 339 of 2014), art. 2 and sch. ref. no. 55; revoked (24.09.2020) by Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Disclosure to Prescribed Persons) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 367 of 2020), art. 3(a).