Members in Europe can now pay non-practising fee
New Rules setting out the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's fees relating to registration include a reduced retention fee for members who live in other European Economic Area countries and do not practise in Britain.
Once the Rules come into force in April, all such members will pay the £64
fee that currently applies only to non-practising pharmacists resident
in Britain. The Rules, approved at the February
Council meeting, otherwise
set out the fees that were incorporated into the Society’s Byelaws
in October 2006 after a period of consultation. Other members outside
Britain will continue to pay the “overseas (non-practising in Great
Britain)” fee of £112.
The reduced fee cannot be applied retrospectively and will therefore
apply only to pharmacists applying for registration or being restored
to the Register from April onwards.
The change has been made on the advice of the Department of Health. Under
EU law, it is unlawful to discriminate between residents in Britain and
other EU residents in Part 2 of the Society’s Register. The current
fee differential — which was agreed by the Privy Council when it
approved the Byelaw changes in October 2006 — is based in part
on the cost of sending The Pharmaceutical Journal to overseas registrants.
However, the Department has advised that, based on current postage costs
within the EU, the Society would be vulnerable to legal challenge on
this issue.
The fees are set out in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
(Fees in Respect of Registration) Rules 2007, which are among several
sets of Rules made at the February Council meeting to meet a requirement
of the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order 2007. Unlike the other
new Rules (see p227), the Rules on fees do not have to be approved by
the Privy Council.
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