23.—(1) Where a Primary Care Trust issues a direction setting any days or times under this Part, it shall in doing so seek to ensure that the hours at which premises are open for the provision of pharmaceutical services are such as to ensure that pharmaceutical services are provided on such days and at such times as are necessary to meet the needs of people in the neighbourhood, or other likely users of the pharmacy, for pharmaceutical services.
(2) In considering the matters mentioned in sub-paragraph (1), the Primary Care Trust—
(a)shall treat any local pharmaceutical services being provided in that neighbourhood at the days and times in question as if they were pharmaceutical services being so provided; and
(b)may have regard to any pharmaceutical services that are being provided in that neighbourhood in circumstances where the pharmacist is not obliged to provide those services.
(3) The Primary Care Trust may only direct that a pharmacist may provide pharmaceutical services at premises for less than 40 hours in any week if it is satisfied that the provision of pharmaceutical services in the neighbourhood is likely to be adequate to meet the need for such services at times when the pharmacist is not providing pharmaceutical services.
(4) The Primary Care Trust may only direct that a pharmacist must provide pharmaceutical services at premises for more than 40 hours in any week where it is satisfied that he will receive reasonable remuneration in respect of the additional hours for which he is required to provide pharmaceutical services (and any additional remuneration payable under the Drug Tariff in respect of those hours is “reasonable remuneration” for these purposes).