Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I am happy to respond to our debate on this Bill, the purpose of which is to impose a prescription charge. As to the administration, a number of Senators seem to be under the illusion that a host of people in an office will go through various files to ascertain how to collect 50 cent. All payments for items through the general medical services, GMS, are computerised. If one uses a medical card in a pharmacy, this computerised transaction is sent to the HSE for payment. The HSE knows how much medication every medical cardholder gets each month. This is the basis on which I gave the figures. The number of prescriptions has increased by 4 million and the number of items prescribed has increased by 15 million in recent years to nearly 60 million. Notwithstanding our aging population, there is no correlation between these figures.

Through computerisation, the HSE will know when a family hits the €10 mark. If someone goes to €10.50 or €11, it would be sensible to repay the amount every two months, for example, instead of sending people cheques for 50 cent. We are discussing a computer transaction, so a host of people will not be employed at the GMS payments board or in pharmacies. When someone with a medical card visits a pharmacy for medication, it is not unusual for him or her to buy something else as well. The pharmacist is used to engaging with people.

Last year, I was in the Seanad when we discussed reducing the wholesale margin and fees to pharmacies. Members, including the Senators opposite, predicted that 300 to 400 pharmacies would close in the coming period. I am happy to say there are more pharmacies now than there were before we introduced the changes. This is a fact.