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The All-Party Pharmacy Group has expressed its concerns over the "very frustrating" delay to the decriminalisation of dispensing errors and called for a statement from the Department of Health.

APPG vice-chair Oliver Colvile questioned the leader of the House of Commons Chris Grayling about the delay last Thursday. Mr Colvile told the House of Commons that the government had informed the APPG that the decriminalisation legislation would be introduced before the end of the year, but that he now understood it was to be delayed until spring 2016. 

In reply, Mr Grayling acknowledged how assiduously this matter had been pursued by Mr Colvile and the APPG. He told the House that the Department of Health was moving forward on the matter €as rapidly as possible€ and intended to bring forward proposals €at an early date€.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Colvile said: €I and the other officers of the All-Party Pharmacy Group have been campaigning long and hard for this change to be made. Earlier this year we received assurances that it would happen before Christmas. For some years we've been told the anomaly will be removed but it still hasn't happened. A further delay is really frustrating for us and for everyone in pharmacy. Day in, day out pharmacists live under the threat of criminal prosecution for making an honest mistake. No other health professional is treated in this way. We are seeing the Minister in early January and this will be high on our agenda.€