Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

That is my point. In a recent debate on MRSA at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children the main issue was the over-prescription of, and over-reliance on, antibiotics. When people do not finish courses of antibiotics they build up more resistance later. This is a major factor in the MRSA epidemic.

The Government Members say they would not like to see this happening. That does not answer my question. I asked what happens if I am on a regular course of tablets, such as warfarin — I am not sure whether that is expensive — that requires me to go to the doctor to get a prescription every few months, but realise I can go to a pharmacy in Northern Ireland to stock up on my tablets? That may save me money but there is a danger that I might become over-reliant, and other medical issues arise.

Fireworks provide an example of this point. Strictly speaking they are not allowed in the Republic yet we all know that is a farce. Senator Brady knows that better than anyone else, having seen them in Dublin's inner city. They were also very bad in Carlow town. Although they are prohibited here, the sky was lit up like Baghdad for the past two months. Fireworks are legal in the North and many came from there. We might have a similar case now in respect of prescribed drugs being available in the North, which raises other issues.

To repeat my question on the drugs bought on the Internet, how does the Government protect the individual from getting what the Minister of State described as bogus drugs in some cases, while at the same time respecting the privacy of people receiving packages from abroad? How does a customs officer differentiate them, especially given that tablets can be hidden in tiny packages and so might not be as obvious as other items?