Shopping Centre Deregulation Threatens Future Of Community Pharmacies - Cotter

11.17.48am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 24th Oct 2003

Brian Cotter MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Small Business, today revealed that Government proposals to deregulate the pharmacy market could lead to an eight-fold increase in the number of chemists entering the market, marking a further assault on the community pharmacy.

Mr Cotter said: "The Government has merely been hoodwinking the public when it said that the future of the community pharmacy was safe."

"Under Labour's new proposals 389 large shopping developments in England will be exempt from the entry controls imposed on community pharmacies, and will be able open as many chemists as they like."

"Over the last decade pharmacy numbers have remained stable, with around 50 pharmacies opening and closing annually. Under these proposals there is nothing to stop every one of these large shopping centres from opening one or more new chemists over night, marking an eight-fold increase."

"Unless the Government does a u-turn the elderly and those unable to travel further afield, could be left with no access to a local pharmacy as large shopping developments push them out of the market."

ENDS

Notes to Editors.

Department of Health's Proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992 state that large shopping developments with over 15,000 square metres of lettable floor space will be exempt from the current entry requirements.

The British Council of Shopping Centres recently compiled a list of the 389 shopping developments in England, which meet these requirements. (www.bcsc.org.uk)

Figures from the House of Commons Library show that on average 51 pharmacies have opened and 50 closed in England each year since 1992/93. In 2001/02 there were 9,756 pharmacies in England compared with 9,763 in 1992/93.