asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce why it is necessary to impose a tariff on certain drugs and antibiotics which are not manufactured in this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tariff on Drugs.
A duty of 50 per cent. ad valorem (full rate) 33? per cent. ad valorem (preferential rate) or 15/-(full) 10/- (preferential) per 100 containers was imposed on injection solutions for the protection of the Irish firm which produces these solutions. Certain drugs are liable to this duty as injection solutions but licences are granted freely for the importation, free of duty, of solutions not produced in this country.
Antibiotics are specifically excluded from the scope of this duty.
The package duty, which was imposed to encourage the packing in this country of imported products, applies to certain medicinal preparations; packages containing drugs and antibiotics of certain descriptions would be liable to this duty.
There is one commonly used drug, insulin, which has to be used daily and is self-administered. Why is the tariff imposed on this drug, which is not manufactured in this country? There is also a tariff on digitalis.
I have informed the Deputy what the situation is. I do not know whether the drugs to which the Deputy refers are caught by the duty on injection solutions but, as explained, if the particular drugs are not made here, duty-free licences are freely granted for their importation. If the Deputy has any case in mind and gets in touch with me or with my Department, I will be only too glad to have the matter further investigated.