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REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS: ELECTION FOR APPOINTMENT TO PSI COUNCIL

February 12, 2015

The Registrar, Marita Kinsella, in her capacity as Returning Officer, hereby requests nominations from pharmacists on the Register of Pharmacists held by the PSI who may wish to stand for election for appointment to the PSI Council. Nomination papers are available by request from the Registrar or are available to download here: Nomination Paper 2015. 

The closing date for receipt of nomination papers is Wednesday 18th March 2015 at 12 noon. Nomination papers should be returned to the PSI offices at PSI House, 15-19 Fenian Street, Dublin 2. 

The 2015 election for appointment of pharmacist members to PSI Council is being conducted in accordance with the PSI (Council) Rules.

Eligibility for election for appointment to the Council of the PSI 

PSI (Council) Rules 2008:

Rule 7(2) of the Council Rules provides that:
“In order to be eligible to stand for election for appointment to the Council, a member of the Society shall –
a) hold a certificate of registration as a pharmacist (i.e. be in Register of Pharmacists kept by the PSI and have paid registration fee for 2015)
b) have been proposed and seconded in writing by members of the Society who hold certificates of registration as a pharmacist,
c) submit, on a form available from the returning officer, a nomination paper that relates only to the person proposing to stand for election, specifying his or her name, address and registration number and signed by him or her,
d) provide declarations that –
i. having regard to paragraphs (2)* and (8)** of Schedule 1 to the Act, he or she is eligible to stand for election for appointment to the Council,
ii. in the event of not being elected, he or she is aware that his or her name will be placed on a panel with a view to selection in the manner provided for under Rules 9(2) and 9(3) and Part 3 for the filling of any vacancies or casual vacancies as may arise on the Council, and
iii. in the event of being elected and appointed to the Council, he or she will, to the best of his or her abilities, serve on the Council and abide by any code of conduct for members of the Council as may be adopted by the Council from time to time.”

* Disqualification from Office includes being adjudicated bankrupt; making a composition or arrangement with creditors; conviction of any indictable offence; conviction of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty; being the subject of an order under section 160 of the Companies Act 1990, or being sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
** Membership of either House of the Oireachtas or European Parliament by a Member of the Council (or staff) of the Society disqualifies Council membership.

Further information on Pharmacist Appointments to Council 2015

In accordance with Section 10(3)(f) of the Pharmacy Act 2007, the 2015 election will be held to select four registered pharmacists for appointment by the Minister to the Council. The pharmacist seats held currently by the following Council members will be up for election in 2015:

Leonie Clarke
John Corr
Keith O’Hourihane
Vacant position

12th FEBRUARY: Returning Officer requests nominations

18th MARCH: Closing date for receipt of nominations (12 noon)

18th MARCH: Returning Officer formally declares candidates (after reviewing eligibility as per Rule 8) and the names and addresses of candidates (along with names of their proposers and seconders) will be published on the PSI website. If the number of candidates is greater than the number of vacancies, then an election will be held.

18th MARCH: Returning officer establishes electoral register of all pharmacists on Register of Pharmacists kept by the PSI on that date who are all entitled to vote in the election for appointment.

BY 31st March: Returning Officer sends ballot papers by post to persons on the electoral register (at address as it appears in the Register of Pharmacists).
The ballot paper will include: a list of candidates in alphabetical order, giving the name and address as published in the Register of Pharmacists; the area of practice as a pharmacist of each candidate; the name and address, as published in the Register of Pharmacists, of each candidate’s proposer and seconder; the latest date and time by which ballot papers shall be returned to the returning officer; and instructions on the voting procedure or a reference to an enclosure setting out such instructions.

15th APRIL: Completed ballot papers are to be returned to the Returning Officer by 5.00pm on Wednesday 15th April 2015.

The counting of votes will take place within 2 days of the election date as per Rules. At the conclusion of the count, the Returning Officer will declare the results and give notice in writing to the Minister for Health of the names of those elected. The election results, including details of the poll and count, will be published on the PSI website.

Useful Information

Information on the responsibilities of Council members including practical information on Council meetings and workload is available here. For additional information on the roles and functions of the PSI Council see About PSI and other relevant sections of the website. 

Additionally, www.stateboards.ie (the Public Appointments Service) provides useful overview of the role of board members along with a self-assessment questionnaire that prompts review of how a persons interests, skills and experience might match the requirements of membership of a state board. Non-pharmacist vacancies on PSI Council will be advertised on that website in due course. 

For those candidates standing for election to Council, guidelines on electioneering are contained in the PSI's Corporate Governance Framework. 

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