Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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290. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the planned reduction in prescription charges from budget 2020; when it will be implemented; the additional funding that was provided to his Department for this reduction; when charges for persons over 70 will be reduced to €1 per item and to €1.50 per item for all others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22904/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As part of Budget 2020, the previous Government announced that GMS prescription charges would be reduced by €0.50c for all medical card holders.

Accordingly, the charge would be reduced by €0.50c to €1 per item for persons aged over 70 years, and by €0.50c to €1.50 for persons under 70. The maximum monthly charge would also be reduced to €10 and €15 respectively. The full year cost of implementing these measures is estimated at €25 million; a cost of €10 million for the over 70 cohort and €15 million for the under 70 cohort.

The funding of these measures was predicated on the achievement of corresponding savings in the health budget in 2020. It has not been possible to achieve these savings to date and therefore I am not in a position at present to progress the changes to prescription charges. I will keep this matter under review in the light of the funding available to the health service in 2020 and 2021.