The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7239 p322
8 March 2003

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Welsh Assembly seeking to block OFT report

The National Assembly for Wales is searching for ways to block the controversial OFT report on control of entry and pharmacies after Health Minister Jane Hutt expressed her strong concerns over the issue.

The future of isolated rural and rundown urban communities are both issues lying at the heart of politics at the Assembly. After hearing from Assembly Members of their fears that the report would lead to heavy losses of pharmacies in such areas, Ms Hutt said: "We are very concerned about the proposals; next week, we will issue a comment on it. We have already heard that community pharmacists are worried."

Ministers from the four home countries meet next week to hammer out a common policy in response to the report. Both Wales and Scotland are concerned that their much-vaunted devolution could vanish if the OFT report is regarded as a competition issue — which is not devolved — rather than health — which is.

Although civil servants in Cardiff are concerned about the extent of their powers and how desirable it is to press for an independent line against that taken by the Department of Trade and Industry, Ms Hutt has come under strong political pressure from all four political parties represented on the Assembly health committee to defend communities on this issue.
— Contributed.