Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The allocation I am announcing today will facilitate a range of additional services, including initiatives proposed under Sláintecare. These include a €25 increase in the weekly income threshold for GP visit cards; a 50 cent reduction in prescription charges from €2 to €1.50 for all medical card holders over the age of 70; and a €10 reduction in the monthly drugs payment scheme threshold from €134 to €124.

An additional €84 million will be provided for mental health services in 2019, bringing the total available funding for mental health to €1 billion. This is an increase of 9%.

Total available funding for the National Treatment Purchase Fund will be €75 million in 2019. The extra €20 million I am making available today represents a substantial 36% increase on last year’s allocation.

I am also providing €150 million more for disability services next year to bring total funding in this area to almost €2 billion.

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