asked the Minister for Health whether in view of the increasing cost of prescribed medicines, he will consider reducing the threshold for refunds by health boards in respect of monthly drugs expenditure by non-medical card holders.
Written Answers. - Cost of Prescribed Medicines.
279.
The threshold above which refunds may be claimed under the drug refund scheme has been set at £28 per month since I January 1984. The Consumer Price Index has increased by 16 per cent since then. As a consequence of this, the non-adjustment of the refund threshold over the intervening four years has led to a reduction in the level of the threshold in real terms.