Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 6

Written Answers. - Drug Payment Scheme.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

235 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the serious problems created for coeliacs by the withdrawal of certain vital items previously available under the drugs refund scheme, including a large range of biscuits, crackers, pasta and savoury biscuits and the limiting of the available range of other products including pizza bases and flour; if, in view of the fact that sufferers from this condition have got used to particular varieties, he will reconsider the decision to exclude these items; if his attention has further been drawn to the financial hardship created for people with high dependency on specialist food items by the decision to increase the threshold for monthly reclaims from £32 to £42; the plans, if any, he has to review this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23235/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

The new drug payment scheme, with a threshold of £42 per month per individual or family, was introduced on 1 July 1999 and replaced the drug cost subsidisation scheme (DCSS) and drug refund scheme (DRS). The primary aim of the new drug payment scheme is to bring about important improvements over the previous schemes and the scheme is designed to be more streamlined, user friendly and to significantly improve the cash flow situation for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines. With regard to the increase, I would point out that there has been no increase in the thresholds for the DCSS or DRS since 1991.

A common list of reimbursable items was introduced for the general medical services scheme and the drug payment scheme to ensure equity in relation to the products reimbursed by the State under both schemes. The list of reimbursable food items to which persons registered under the drug payment scheme are entitled is therefore in line with those items available to medical card holders and includes breads, bread mixes, flours, and pizza bases. It is considered that the range of such items available under State reimbursement schemes provides a reasonable choice and persons requiring items which are not reimbursable would be expected to meet the full cost of such items.

There are no plans to include other coeliac foods in the common list.