Vol. 453 No. 4
77 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health the reason vaccines against hepatitis A and B are not eligible for refund under the drugs refund scheme while prescribed drugs and medicines taken orally do qualify; the plans, if any, he has to change this inequity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9473/95]
Limerick East): Vaccines are provided free of charge under national immunisation programmes. Because of this arrangement, it has been a long standing policy that vaccines, other than tetanus vaccine, are not normally supplied under the various community drug schemes, including the GMS. I would point out that under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations, 1994, employers are obliged to make effective vaccines available, when necessary, to those employees who are not already immune to biological agents such as hepatitis A or hepatitis B.
