The financing of inspection activities is basically the same as the financing of overall regulatory functions (see Chapter 5). Budgets for GMP and distribution-channel inspection-irrespective of whether they are allocated separately-are allocated in the same way as budgets for licensing, with the exception of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, GMP inspection activities are funded by a combination of fees and Government budget, while inspections of distribution channels are financed solely from the Government budget.
In Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Uganda and Zimbabwe, a fee is charged for GMP inspections. Uganda and Zimbabwe also charge fees for inspection of distribution channels. The fee system in Australia is based on the number of hours staff spend on an inspection, whereas the other countries charge a fixed rate (see Table 5.5).