Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We have heard the script. Will the Minister of State get off the script for a minute? I asked him a question about Tony, who is suffering from cancer. Currently, he is paying €32.95 a month for a probiotic; €10 for thiamin; €10 for magnesium; and €20 for Vivioptal. Recommended by his doctor, he needs these products for his health and he is paying €70 a month for them. He should not be paying that at all. If this VAT change goes ahead, he will be paying €86. He cannot afford that.

What is the Minister of State's answer to that? Does he believe Tony, who is ill, or other vulnerable elderly and sick people who need these products to maintain their health, should be paying for them? I believe they should be covered by the medical card. Does he think it is in any way acceptable that the price of those products will increase and make them unaffordable? These are products doctors are recommending in many cases for the maintenance of people's health.

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