Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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1517. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost to the State for the drugs payment scheme threshold for single-headed households to be reduced to €72 per month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17047/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Drug Payment Scheme (DPS) provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month.

The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland. It significantly reduces the cost burden for those not eligible for a medical card but with ongoing expenditure on medicines.

The DPS threshold has been €80 since 1 March 2022.

The estimated cost of reducing the DPS threshold to €72 per month is €12.5m per annum.