Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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360. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reducing all prescription charges to €0.50, with a cap of €5 per month; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36828/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The estimated full-year cost of reducing all prescription charges to €0.50, with a cap of €5 per month is €38.9m.

This costing does not take account of changes in demographics, in eligibility (e.g., changes in the number of medical card holders), or how the removal of prescription charges may impact claimant behaviour.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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361. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reducing the drugs payment scheme maximum payment to €60 per month; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36829/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Drugs 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. Currently, no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.

The additional minimum cost of reducing the DPS threshold to €60 per month is estimated to be €45.6m.

This estimation, based on data as reported by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service for May 2025, does not take account of changes in demographics, in eligibility (e.g., changes in the number of medical card holders), or in claimant behaviour arising from a reduction in the DPS threshold.