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Request For Nominations: Election For Appointment to PSI Council

February 08, 2017

(for the purposes of Section 10(3)(f) of the Pharmacy Act 2007 and in accordance with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Council) Rules 2008 and 2015).

The Registrar, Niall Byrne, in his 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 2017.

The closing date for receipt of nomination papers is Wednesday, 22 March 2017 at 12 noon. Nomination papers should be returned to the PSI office at PSI House, 15-19 Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 TD72.

The 2017 election for the appointment of pharmacist members to PSI Council is being conducted in accordance with the PSI (Council) Rules 2008 and 2015.

Eligibility for election for appointment to the Council of the PSI

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 2017)

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 may 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 sections 838, 842 and 850 of the Companies Act 2014, 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 employee) of the Society disqualifies Council membership.

Further information on Pharmacist Appointments to Council 2017

In accordance with Section 10(3)(f) of the Pharmacy Act 2007, the 2017 election will be held to select five registered pharmacists for appointment by the Minister of Health to the Council. The pharmacist seats held currently by the following Council members will be up for election in 2017 (terms of office expiring 17 June 2017):

  1. Nicola Cantwell
  2. Richard Collis
  3. Ann Frankish
  4. Edward MacManus
  5. Caroline McGrath

Key Dates

8th February: Returning Officer requests nominations

22nd March: Closing date for receipt of nominations (12 noon)

22nd March: Returning Officer formally declares the candidates (after reviewing the eligibility of the persons nominated in accordance with Rule 7(2) of the PSI Council Rules 2008, as amended, 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.

22nd March: Returning Officer establishes the electoral register; this being all pharmacists on the PSI’s Register of Pharmacists on that date, all of whom are entitled to vote in the election.

By 4th April: 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.

19th April: Completed ballot papers are to be returned to the Returning Officer by 5.00pm on Wednesday, 19th April 2017.

The counting of votes will take place within 2 days of the election date as per the 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

  • The Council is responsible for pursuing the PSI’s mission, vision and values and for ensuring the delivery of the functions of the PSI, as the pharmacy regulator, in the public interest. Information on the roles and responsibilities of Council members is included in the PSI’s Corporate Governance Framework.  This document also contains the Code of Conduct for Council and Advisory Committee members.  For additional information on the roles and functions of the PSI Council see About PSI and other relevant sections of the website.
  • Practical information in relation to Council meetings and anticipated workload of members of Council is available here.  
  • Additionally, www.stateboards.ie (the Public Appointments Service) provides a useful overview of the role of board members along with a self-assessment questionnaire that assists in determining how a person’s interests, skills and experience might match the requirements of membership of a state board. The non-pharmacist vacancies arising on PSI Council this summer will also be advertised on that website in due course. 
  • For those candidates standing for election to Council, the following guidelines on electioneering apply:
  1. Candidates are encouraged to conduct their electioneering in such a way so as to promote interest in the election.
  2. Candidates, and anyone acting on their behalf, should refrain from any canvassing that may be interpreted as bringing into disrepute the profession of pharmacy or the Council of the PSI.

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