Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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634. To ask the Minister for Health in view of the fact he will not reverse the prescription charge of €2.50 with a cap of €25 and in view of difficulties persons with multiple prescriptions have with paying the charge if he will make a statement on the matter. [54381/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. It is expected that the estimated expenditure for ENPs in 2013 will be over €35 million.

There is no automatic entitlement to an ENP payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

The ENP scheme is not intended to cover circumstances where responsibility for the payment or the expenditure rests with another Government Department or Agency such as assistance towards prescription charges. Responsibility for prescription charges is a matter for the Health Service Executive.