Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Health if the Government levy on chemists for prescription tuberculosis medication was correct or incorrect. [39099/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Prescription charges are part of a set of measures introduced by Government in recent years to reduce pharmaceutical drugs expenditure. Medical card holders are required to pay a €2.50 charge per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family.

I understand however that the case in question refers to a private transaction. Neither the Minister for Health nor the Health Service Executive has any power to set the prices of drugs and medicines purchased by private patients.

The HSE advises the public that if they are being charged prices which exceed the reimbursement price listed on the HSE website (), plus a dispensing fee of between €3.50 and €5, then they should discuss the differential with their pharmacist to ensure they get the best possible price for the medicine concerned.