Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
1127. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the date for when the reduction of the monthly threshold for the drugs payment scheme, which will be reduced from €114 to €100 per month, will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53340/21]
View answerThe Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) was introduced by the Health Services (Drug Payment Scheme) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 526 of 2012) and provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines/appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. All persons ordinarily resident in Ireland can apply for eligibility regardless of their means.
There have been significant reductions since the DPS was established, when the threshold was set at €144 per month. Most recently the threshold was reduced to €114 per month from 1 November 2020.
As announced in Budget 2022, the DPS threshold will be further reduced to €100 per month. It is anticipated that, upon enactment of secondary legislation to give effect to this change, the new threshold will come into effect on 1 January 2022.
